Let There Be Light
by draco-is-the-punk
Summary: AU: Light, L, Misa, Mello, Matt and Near are actors working together on the new thriller Kira-Kira. LightxL, MattxMello
1. Greased Lightning

**AU: Light is a promising young actor set to star in the upcoming blockbuster Kira-Kira alongside the infamous Mello, idol Misa and the reclusive L, as well as fellow unknowns Matt and Near. As filming goes on, feelings begin to bloom for his candy obsessed co-star. Matt meanwhile had fallen head over heels for Mello. Can the two amateurs win the hearts of the objects of their affection?**

**Rating M for lemons and language.**

_Pairings:  
LightxL, LxLight  
MattxMello, MelloxMatt  
MisaxLight (one-sided)  
MatsudaxAizawa, AizawaxMatsuda (hinted)_

_May be more minor pairing mentioned as the plot progresses. Happy reading! Please review!_

Light Yagami yawned widely as he slumped back in his plane seat. Despite his lethargy- it was two o'clock in the morning after all- he was hugely excited. He had finally found his break. Ever since Light could remember, he'd wanted to be an actor. He'd joined every junior drama club available as a child, and it was undeniable that he was talented. He could make himself laugh or cry, transforming himself completely, until he wasn't just acting, he was living his part. He _was _his character. He'd got the lead in every school play without even having to audtition.

But his parents hadn't wanted him to fly off and become an actor. They didn't see it as a suitable position for a boy with his brains. Light Yagami had also always been the top of every class, smart and popular with it; he is extremely goodlooking. He had it all. But he wanted more. He didn't want to go into the police force like his father; he thought that sounded dull and messy, and everybody knew that the police force was corrupt. And so, after completing university and leaving home, he auditioned for a movie. It was called Kira-Kira, and was a romantic thriller. He'd hoped for a decent part to get his name into the movie business. But it had been better than he'd ever imagined. Last week his agent had called him, practically fainting with the news that they had decided to take a chance and sign on the 21 year old who'd only ever been an extra in movies, a background character with only a few lines, a minor character in a sitcom, and in a few adverts on the television, mainly for toothpaste and hair products. A dream come true. Light flashed his pearly white teeth in a perfect smile at his agent sitting beside him.

''Looking forward to filming, Light-san?''

''Oh yes, Aizawa. It's going to be fantastic.''

The afro-haired man beside him nodded eagerly.

''They sound really excited to have you. My family were a little disappointed that I decided to go with you, but I explained how important this is.''

Light nodded with another chiselled smile.

''My family weren't that thrilled at first, but when they saw how much I'd be making...''

Light had practically fainted himself when the sum had been proposed. He'd have enough to splurge in Banana Republic for the rest of his life.

''... and Sayu was hysterical when she heard that I'd be working with Misa Amane. Apparently she's a top model and actress, and Sayu idolises her.''

Sayu had practially shrieked his eardrums to pieces when he'd told her. Aizawa nodded.

''I know Amane's manager, Matsuda. He's a bit of a goof, but she's made him a big success, and now he drives a Porsche instead of a Ford Mondeo.''

''I'll do the exact same for you, Aizawa.'' Light promised ''So have you heard who else is going to be in this picture?''

Aizawa grinned.

''Actually yes. Mello, for one thing.''

Light looked interested. The blonde haired, leather clad heart throb had sparked a nation wide debate into his sexuality. Light's teenage sister Sayu had insisted on giving him updates on the 'Is Mello Gay?' story. She'd be even more excited if she knew he was filming with Mello as well as the 'amazing' Misa. Mello enjoyed the press when it suited him, but was rumoured to be very temperamental. Light was certainly looking forward to meeting him.

''Aaaaand...'' Aizawa said, pausing for dramatic effect ''L.''

Light's jaw dropped.

''Are you serious?''

Aizawa nodded smugly. Light grinned. L had gone under many names in the films in which he had starred: Ryuzaki and Hideki Ryuga amongst others. But he was best known as L, his most common alias. Nobody knew which, if any of this aliases was his real name. He was reclusive and extremely wealthy, and usually played dark characters. Light had always admired his acting style, and now he'd get to meet him.

''It must be a good movie. I hear that L's incredibly difficult to sign. He only goes into movies that he's interested in.'' Light's agent revealed, opening a bag of peanuts and offering Light one. Light shook his head.

''I've heard that as well. So I take it he plays the serial killer?''

Aizawa nodded.

''Naturally.''

* * *

Kira-Kira was a tale of two sets of twins, one of which was played by Light, and another he knew was to be played by Misa Amane. He supposed that Misa would be Mello's twin in the film, as they did look quite similar. They had the same blonde hair and feminine figures. Light hadn't been told yet who would play his twin. Light's character falls in love with Misa's, which outrages a fifth character, who is also in love with Misa's character.

He kills animals and leaves them in his rival's room, and then kills Light's character's twin brother in an attempt to shock him away from Misa, which almost works, but Light's character's brother appears to him whenever he writes in their shared diary, nicknamed the Death Note. His brother doesn't know who killed him, but he helps his twin to piece it together before it is too late. The serial killer leaves messages prophesing Light's character's death, sneaking into Light's character's room and writing it in the Death Note. He makes other remarks that terrify Light's character as only a close friend could possibly know it. It transpires that Misa's twin is in cahoots with the serial killer, selling out one of his best friends as he blames him for the death of Light's twin.

Light's character ends up killing his girlfriend's twin, but is being driven mad, especially as he has lost his Death Note and can no longer talk to his brother. The killer tells Misa's character that her boyfriend is dead, not expecting her to react as badly to it as she does. She kills herself, and the killer is tipped even more over the edge, and goes in search of Light's character. Meanwhile, he discovers the identity of the killer, and kidnaps his younger brother in a bid to get him to say where the killer is. The killer finds them, and kills his brother in a fit of anger, mistaking him for Light's character. He is then killed by Light's character, who is left alone in the world now that his love is also dead. He kills himself, at the exact time that the killer had written into his diary.

* * *

Light loved the story, especially since he was playing the main character. And to be acting with such famous names... it was a dream come true. It really was. He couldn't wait until he got to the location where they would be filming and he could meet them all. They were flying to a different part of Japan for the film location, and would be staying in a hotel next to the set, all paid for by the company. Light couldn't wait to try out the room service.

He checked his watch, and sighed. A good half an hour to go, and it felt like he'd been on this plane for ever. When they arrived at the airport, he and his agent would be taken straight to the hotel, but Light seriously doubted that even an elite film company had developed teleportation. That journey too would delay Light faling into his nice warm bed. As would picking up their luggage after the flight... He sat back in his seat, plugging his iPod into his ears and trying to zone out. He must have fallen asleep, because the next thing he knew, his agent was shaking him, calling his name.

''Light-san! We're nearly at the airport now!''

Light awoke with a start, pulling the earphones out. Sure enough, they were reaching touchdown. The buzz of excitement hit him again, and he sat up, looking at Aizawa with a huge grin plastered onto his face. Even waiting by the luggage carousel for what seemed like hours didn't annoy him as much as he'd expected it to. They came out with their suitcases to be greeted by a black limousine.

''Wow...'' Aizawa whispered, but Light was trying to act as if he got ferried around by chaffeur all the time.

He sat down in the limo calmly while the driver loaded their luggage, and managed to hide the wild laughter that was threatening to burst out of him any minute now. The limo purred along, and Light allowed himself a smug smile of satisfaction.

The hotel was huge. Simply massive. Light and Aizawa stood in the lobby, staring at the marble statues that reached the cavernous ceiling, and the ostentatious gold light fittings. Chandeliers no less. They stared around with their mouths hanging open, before they regained their composure, and found their rooms. When Light was inside his huge room with its jacuzzi and not so mini mini-bar, it got too much. He flung himself face down on the huge king sized bed and laughed until his sides ached.


	2. Automattic

**Okay, just to warn you, I am basing this on a movie set pretty loosely. I'm not being completely unrealistic (I hope), but I know that it's a bit off at least.**

Light awoke at eight in the morning to church bells and birds singing in the trees. Actually, he woke to the sound of his alarm, but it felt like church bells and birds singing in the trees. He jumped out of bed and headed for the bathroom, which was all glossy black marble and silver chrome.

He sighed happily as he got ready to go out and meet the other members of the crew. He combed his hair until it shone in the light, and practised his best smile in the mirror. Then he searched his clothes for something suitable, eventually deciding on a jet black polo neck jumper and coal black tailored trousers. He met Aizawa in the breakfast room munching on a plate of bacon and eggs and drinking tea. His agent grabbed his arm, pointing out of the window at the silver limo parked outside.

"We're going to the set in half an hour," he told Light, who nodded and set about getting breakfast.

He sat down beside his agent, who informed him that most of the cast were already there.

"Don't worry though, you're allowed a lie in because you only flew in this morning," he said.

Light nodded, and Aizawa gave him a reassuring look.

"It's okay to be nervous. This is a big deal, you've never done anything like this before."

Light looked at him in surprise. He wasn't nervous... he was excited! This was going to be great! He could see the headlines now... _Newcomer Flourishes in Award Winning Movie... Yagami Light Voted Best Dressed Male Celebrity...  
_  
This was his big opportunity, a window to a career in film that could last his whole life. He was going to be a star! He was going to make it big!

He ate his breakfast quickly, and headed back to his room for ten minutes. He watched part of a drama programme on the huge plasma screen, and then hurried back to the lobby. His agent was standing waiting for him, and together they walked to the limo. It was only a short drive to the set, but Light hadn't seen it on their arrival to the hotel as it had been too dark. He got out of the car, looking around in interest.

"Shall we go to your dressing room?" Aizawa asked with a crooked smile.

Light grinned, making his way down a corridor of named doors. He heard loud beeping noises coming out from behind a door marked 'Matt,' and poppy music from the one marked 'Misa.' As much as he was curious to meet the others, he had to wait until they were all called together to meet each other for the first time.

Light's dressing room was pretty much exactly as he'd imagined a dressing room to be. He sat down on a padded swivel chair in front of the mirror, and smiled at Aizawa, who had sat down on the plushy couch.

"I won't be coming to filming with you everyday," his agent said "It isn't necessary. I'll just hang around the town, or maybe catch up with Matsuda."

Light nodded. It didn't bother him much; he didn't need babysitting. He was 21 years old, certainly old enough to look after himself. He looked up at the clock hung on the wall, telling him there was five minutes until they'd all be meeting up. And he'd see Misa Amane, and he'd see Mello, and he'd see L. He'd see all of the people he'd be working with for the next five months.

His phone beeped loudly, and he pulled it out of his pocket, opening up the text that had just arrived.

_Hey Light-chan!! How's the high life suiting ya? Met Misa-Misa yet? Sayu xxx_

He smiled, tapping out a quick answer and then putting his phone on silent. It wouldn't do to have it going off when he was in the middle of something. That definitely wouldn't be a good first impression. And Light knew that first impression were the most important things.

* * *

Aizawa pointed at the clock, indicating that they should get going. He led Light to the meeting room, facing him outside the closed door.

"Ready?"

Light nodded impatiently, pushing open the door. A man he recognised from his auditions smiled, beckoning him forwards.

"Hi! I'm Roger, the assistant producer."

Light smiled, looking around at the others. They were sat in a circle of chairs, two of which were empty. He took one, and Aizawa took the other. Light was scanning the people seated. There were a few that were clearly agents; Aizawa was in fact winking at a dark haired man he took to be Matsuda, sitting next to a blonde girl that Light recognised as Misa. He recognised Mello as well, sitting slouched in his chair, clad in tight leather. Light noticed a bar of chocolate sticking out of his pocket. Light's eyes drifted past two boys he did not recognise until he found L, who was sitting on the other side of a man Light assumed was his agent, who was sitting right next to Light.

L was wearing baggy jeans and a white long sleeved shirt, and his hair was messy. He also had bags under his eyes that Light had always assumed were make-up. He was glad in a way, as L would have looked sort of unfinished without them. The reclusive actor was sat very strangely; his knees bent up in front of him so he was in a sort of crouching position, and his hands resting on his knees. A lollipop stick was clenched between his teeth.

"Well, since we don't really know each other, let's go round the circle and introduce ourselves," Roger suggested.

Light raised his eyebrows. How infantile.

"How about you start?" Roger asked Misa "Just say your name and a little about your character."

"Okay! I'm Misa, and I play the pretty heroine Akane, who two of the characters are madly in love with, but eventually kills herself." Misa smiled with a little bow of the head.

Light frowned, sizing her up. She was about his age or a year younger perhaps, but she had her hair scooped up in bunches that made her look younger. She was however wearing quite a lot of make-up, and her black top was quite low cut. She wasn't what he'd call beautiful, but she was cute. He could see why she might be popular, especially with teenagers...and old men. Misa sat back to scope out the other actors, her eyes fell on Light, and she smiled. He looked the most interesting out of this bunch. Well, in a non-creepy way anyway.

"Uh, I'm Matsuda, and I'm Misa-Misa's manager and agent," the man next to her said. He grinned at Aizawa; he was glad he could spend some time with his old friend in his free time.

"I'm Near," said a boy who looked about fifteen.

He had very pale hair, and looked a lot wiser than a boy of his age should be. He bore a striking resembalance to L, even though they didn't look much alike. It might have been the far-away but still piercing look in his eyes, or his strange posture. It didn't surprise Light when Near added  
"I play Aito, the brother of the serial killer."

Near's agent introduced himself as well, and then it was the turn of another boy, with red hair and strange orange goggles over his eyes.

"I'm Matt. I play Daisuke, the brother of the protagonist, who is killed by the serial killer and later helps his twin via the Death Note," he said.

Matt looked a little younger than Light, maybe eighteen or nineteen. They had similar hair, despite it being different colours, and Light could see why they might be seen as brothers, if not twins. In the story, Daisuke was supposed to be a bit of a punk, and Light supposed they'd make it seem like he dyed his hair. Light heaved a sigh of relief. No wacky red hair dye was going anywhere near _his_ honey brown locks. Matt had a slight rough edge to his voice, and Light wondered if he was a smoker. He had guessed correctly; Matt was dying for a smoke, but his agent had insisted he left his Bensons in his dressing room so he wouldn't be tempted. He sighed, looping his thumbs through his beltloops, and looking at the boy next to him. He knew who he was of course. Everybody knew who he was.

"I'm Mello," drawled the blonde, fingering the shiny bar of chocolate in his pocket. "I'll be playing Kentaro, Akane's twin brother and the guy who goes a bit nuts after Daisuke gets killed. He sells his friends out to the wacko serial killer."

Mello glanced around the circle disinterestedly. He'd worked with L once before, and Near and him had gone to the same stage school. Misa... well she just annoyed the hell out of him, but he'd put up with her if he had to. The other two he didn't know, but he was sure he'd know them pretty well after filming for nearly half a year.

"I am L." said the dark haired man, chewing on his thumb nail and blinking around at them. "I play Rai. Rai is a man driven mad with his infatuation for somebody he cannot have."

L was used to his roles as serial killers and sociopaths. He guessed from the outside that was how he might appear. Although L would never ever commit murder, as murder could never be justified, whatever the circumstance. He supposed he did isolate himself a little... okay, a lot... but his characters were nothing like him. He just found them easy to portray. L looked around, and spotted the last actor to introduce himself. This he supposed was Light Yagami.

"I'm Light. I play Akio, the guy who loses everything because of love and jealousy." Light said easily, crossing one leg over the other.

He could see L out of the corner of his eyes looking at him. It was quite unnerving. After Aizawa had introduced himself as well, Roger smiled.

"Okay, now today we'll just be handing out scripts and doing some costume fitting. We'll probably start on filming in a few days, or if not, next week."

* * *

Matt was sitting in his dressing room playing Mario Kart with one hand and lighting a cigarette with the other when he heard a knock at the door. It was probably his agent.

"Come in," he called. Mello looked around the door, and Matt stared at him in surprise. He heard a crunch as Mario and Toad collided behind him.

"Hey there." he said, turning off the game console. Mello sat down on the couch beside him.

"Hey. I was wondering if you wanted to do some lines. I can never learn them when I'm just reading them through on my own."

"No, me neither." Matt agreed. "Do you mind if I smoke?"

"Just don't do it too near me. I don't fancy dying from second hand smoke." Mello shrugged, pulling out a chocolate bar and tearing off the foil wrapping. He bit off a large chunk, sighing in delight. Matt smiled, blowing out a cloud of smoke in the opposite direction.

"Right, so this is the scene I've been looking at," Mello said, holding up his script "Where Kentaro and Daisuke are talking about Akio and Akane."

Matt flicked through his script until he found the scene Mello was talking about.

"Got it."

"Right, so... _Hey! Daisuke! Wait up!_"

"_Kentaro! Sorry, didn't see you there_."

"_Head in the clouds as usual, huh?_"

They practised the scene for a while, and then Mello got bored and suggested they took a break.

"Thanks, by the way." he said "Hey, what do you think of the other guys?"

Matt shrugged.

"Don't know really. They seem okay. Not the kind of bitchy brats I've worked with before."

"Ugh." Mello pulled a face "I know what you mean."

Matt nodded.

"Well, I can't really say, we've hardly met. You can hardly tell somebody's personality from seeing them before in a movie."

"Yeah. I for one am nothing like most of my characters. L neither, although you can see that creepiness about him that he transfers to his roles."

The redhead grinned, watching Mello demolish his chocolate bar. He stubbed his cigarette out on his SonicX ashtray. Mello was looking at him in amusement.

"You seem to like videogames," he remarked, gesturing towards a box of video consoles and games that Matt had yet to set up.

"I have more in my hotel room," Matt laughed "I only have my PS2, PS3, and Wii here. Oh yeah, and my PSP."

"Geek!" Mello said, but his eyes were glittering and he was smiling.

* * *

Misa walked purposefully down the corridor to Light Yagami's room. She had been thinking non-stop about the interesting young man that ws playing her lover in the film, and she knew that she wanted to be his lover in real life as well. What is more, she was going to get it.

Light was sat in his dressing room and rereading his lines for his death scene when he heard a rapping at the door.

"Hello?"

"It's Misa. Can I come in?" Misa asked, already opening the door.

"Uh.. sure.."

She skipped forwards, sitting down beside him.

"I've been looking forward to meeting you, Light."

He smiled uncertainly.

"Yeah... been looking forward to meeting you as well."

She looked delighted, clapping her perfectly manicured hands together.

"Light-kun, I want to be your girlfriend."

He stared at her. She seemed serious about it.

"Misa... we've only just met."

"Don't you believe in love at first sight?"

He sighed, and shook his head. He didn't believe in love full stop.

"Misa, I can't be your boyfriend."

Her face crumpled.

"You will," she replied "If you don't, I'll have my agent fire you from this movie."

Light's eyes opened wide, and his heart stopped beating. He knew the implications of that. He could see his parents faces, and the black lines on his resume. He knew what it'd mean for his career. He looked at the actress' eager eyes and malicious smile, and he hated her. He hated her so much. But he'd used girls before, and he wasn't above doing it again.

"Okay, Misa. I'll be your boyfriend."

Her face lit up and she flung her arms around him.

"You have made Misa very happy, Light-chan!"

Light flinched inwardly, but he hugged her back and forced a smile.


	3. Misanthropic

That evening they split into two limos to drive them back to the hotel. Light had to sit with Misa to his annoyance, and with L. Matsuda and Aizawa sat behind them with L's agent Watari. L looked curiously at the two young actors. Misa was chattering nineteen to the dozen, while Light smiled and nodded, apparently listening intently to what she was saying. But his eyes were distant, and L could tell that he wasn't really paying attention. L frowned, pulling a wrapped sweet out of his pocket and eating it. How strange.

Mello and Matt were travelling with Near in the other limo. Matt had brought his PSP with him, and was engrossed in some kind of shooting game. Mello was sitting as far away from Near as he could, sending him angry little glances every so often. Near ignored him, making a little plastic rocket ship soar over his head. He knew how immature his old rival could be.  
They got back to the hotel, and Light told Misa that he was going up to his room to get changed. He stepped through his door, and sighed. He could deal with a pseudo-relationship, but she wanted to _follow_ him everywhere. And it hadn't even been one day. He hoped that she wouldn't want to spend the evening with him. He groaned. Of course she would. She was like a magnet. And it wouldn't be difficult for her to find out his room number. Well, it was worth it if he got to stay in the film. It would all be worth it. He nodded, changing into slacks and a cream buttoned shirt. He knew it, but he didn't feel it.

* * *

L was sitting in his room watching a police show and eating ice-cream when somebody knocked on the door. He peeped through the spyhole, and saw a brunette looking shiftily up and down the corridor. He opened the door to let Light Yagami inside.

"I'm sorry to bother you, L. But I think Misa's looking for me, and she won't expect me to be here."

L quirked a dark eyebrow.

"You're... hiding from Misa-san." he said, his eyes betraying his amusement. Light sighed.

"Technically, yes. Wouldn't you?"

L chuckled, gesturing for Light to sit down.

"How did you find out which room was mine?"

"Phoned reception."

"And how long do you intend to hide in here?"

Light sighed.

"I can go if you want."

"No, I don't mind." L replied with a shrug.

Who knows, it might even be nice to have some company. He spent so much of his time alone that he was becoming increasingly anti-social.

"So, why exactly is Misa-san looking for you?"

Light looked at the other man, and frowned. He didn't want to explain what he had agreed with Misa.

"She wants to be my girlfriend."

"Wouldn't it be better to just say no than to run away and hide in my room?" L inquired, scooping ice cream into his mouth.

Light shook his head.

"It's complicated," he said shortly. L shrugged.

"Well, it's your business."

Light pretended to be watching the television, aware of L's piercing eyes burning the side of his head. L frowned a little while later, and looked back to his ice cream. Light was a difficult person to read. L wasn't going to press the matter. And the next day when Light knocked on his door, L let him in without question. They sat on L's bed or his couch, and watched TV while L sometimes ate ice cream or candy, and they occasionally spoke to remark on something that had gone on at the set that day, or to help each other practise their lines.

"Matt!" Mello moaned.

"Come on, Mello! You can do better than that!"

"I'm trying!"

"Just a bit further! Faster! Come on!"

Both boys groaned, and Matt leant back on the bed with a sigh.

"You're really going to cock up my high scores," he told the blonde reproachfully, glaring at the TV with its taunting message of 'Your Team Lose!'

"Racing games suck anyway," Mello retorted, putting the controller down beside him. "Got any decent war games?"

Matt smiled, kneeling down and inserting a fresh disk into the Xbox 360. He sat back beside Mello, who smiled at him. Matt and Mello had clicked since that first day when they had gone over their lines together, and their friendship had been growing steadily. Matt had somebody to play video games with, even though Mello was pretty terrible. And Mello had even been considering sharing some of his precious chocolate with his new friend. He grinned, taking up his controller as the game started, and shooting a blood covered zombie squarely in the head.

"Nice shot!" Matt said in surprise. Mello smirked, shooting another two down.

* * *

By the weekend, each of the actors had moved on with their script learning, and the art department had sorted out all the details needed before filming. Most of these had been finalised months before they had arrived, but there was a few things that needed the actors actually there to sort out. They had the two days off before the real work began.

"Hey, Mello?" Matt asked hesitantly. "What are you planning to do this weekend?"

Mello looked at the redhead in surprise. Matt sighed inwardly; maybe he was just Mello's friend to while away the boring hours in the hotel. Mello probably had something more important to do than spend time with him.

"I was going to check out the town. Wanna come with?"

"Sure!" Matt grinned.

"Uh..." said a voice from behind them. They turned around and spotted Light.

"Hey, Light!" Matt greeted. Light smiled.

"Mind if I come with you tomorrow?"

"Why not? We could ask L as well. He looks like he needs to get out a lot more," Mello shrugged. Light frowned.

"Please... don't ask Misa?"

"Isn't she your girlfriend? Matt asked in surprise.

Light and Misa were always sitting with each other in the cafeteria, holding hands and making gooey eyes at each other. Actually... maybe it'd just been Misa making the gooey eyes and Light looking bored.

"Yeah... but I want to get her a present," Light lied coolly "And I don't want her to find out. Besides, she'd just want to go in all the girly shops."

Matt and Mello pulled faces.

"You don't tell Near and we won't tell Misa," Mello suggested. Light laughed. This was perfect. If Misa asked why he wasn't spending the weekend with her, he could say he'd promised to have a guy's day out with the others. It looked a lot less like he was just avoiding her.

* * *

"Mello?" Matt asked when they arrived back at the hotel and were sitting in Matt's room.

"Hmmm?"

"Why do you hate Near so much?"

Mello fell silent, sprawling on Matt's bed. He produced a bar of chocolate and bit into it thoughtfully.

"So, shopping with Light and L... should be fun. Interesting at least."

Matt nodded, sensing the subject change and not pushing it any further.

"I went to stage school with Near," Mello said suddenly, staring at his chocolate. Matt looked at him with a small frown, waiting for him to continue.

"He always got the lead when we were doing drama practises. He always got the highest marks in class. And I was always second."

"You got a bigger part than him in the movie," Matt pointed out. Mello sighed in exasperation.

"Yes, that's because he's still a kid! When he's older, he'll get all the main ones and I won't. I know it. And he'll knock me out of the spotlight, and I'll be forgotten. A magazine even named him as 'the next L.' I'll never get that."

Mello looked so crestfallen that Matt scooted closer to him, hugging him. Mello stiffened, but then relaxed.

"Don't tell anybody? They'll think I'm being an idiot."

"Sure."

"You don't think I'm an idiot do you?" Mello mumbled, looking up at Matt. Matt smiled.

"Course not."

"I am," Mello sniffed "I'm being childish and stupid."

Matt looked down at the man in his arms and sighed. For once in the week he'd known Mello, he felt more mature than he was. Mello did seem childish, but Matt didn't think he was an idiot. He certainly didn't think he was stupid. He just wanted to keep him safe.

* * *

Light sighed as he woke up on Saturday morning. He'd spent the whole of the last evening with Misa, and she was getting on his nerves more and more. Well, maybe he would fall for her after he got to know her better. He laughed harshly as he got dressed in front of the mirror, teasing his hair with the comb until it looked just right. He went down to meet the others. L seemed to only wear that white shirt and baggy jeans. He'd look fantastic in some Armani...

Come to think of it, Matt seemed to always wear the same outfit as well, paired with those crazy goggles. Mello always wore some variation of leather, tight leather at that.

Light shrugged. If they wanted to look scruffy, that was up to them. He frowned at the two men standing beside them.

"Who are they?"

"Bodyguards," L answered "A tiresome but necessary precaution."

Light nodded as they set off out of the door and piled into the limo. The town looked pretty much the same as the ones around where he lived, but it'd be nice to have a look round.

"Where to first?" L asked.

"Book shop," Light said, at the same time as Mello said "Chocolate shop," and Matt said "Game shop."

Light frowned.

"Well, I need to get Misa a present, so we could go to the candy shop first. And I expect L wants to stock up on sweet things too. And Mello can get his chocolate."

The others agreed. They hadn't reached the shop however, when a group of girls in their tweens squealed.

"OMMGEZ!" one of them shouted "Isn't that Misa-Misa's boyfriend?!"

Light blinked slowly, turning around as he was pounced on by two twelve year olds. Luckily the body guards snapped into action, insisting that the girls be on their way, and hustling the group into a shop. Light's face was like thunder.

"How the...?"

Matt cleared his throat, pointing to a news stand. Light's jaw dropped as he spotted a picture of himself and Misa holding hands. Misa was attempting to feed him chocolate pudding, and a headline screamed: MISA IN LOVE!  
Light took a long shuddering breath, looking around at the others.

"Do any of you know anything about this?"

Mello and Matt shook their heads mutely, and L frowned.

"What day was this?"

"I don't know!"

"Well, Light-kun, chocolate pudding is served in the cafeteria at lunchtime on Tuesday and Thursday. And you were wearing that shirt on Monday and Thursday. Therefore this picture was taken on Thursday lunchtime. Now, I cannot say who was present in the cafeteria at that time, as I had a costume fitting which over run."

"Thursday? We were in Matt's room doing our lines. We ordered a pizza instead of going for lunch," Mello remembered.

"So... it couldn't have been any of us. It could have been a member of the art staff..." L said thoughtfully.

"Or Near." Mello said darkly. The others looked at him.

"Near?"

"It sounds just like something Near would do," the blonde insisted. L raised an eyebrow wryly. He knew how Mello felt about Near.

"Are you sure that your personal feelings aren't clouding your judgement, Mello?"

"I'm sure," Mello said hotly.

Light delved into his pocket as he heard his phone bleeping. He stared at the screen grimly.  
"It wasn't Near."

He passed the phone to L, who read the text, his eyes widening.

_Light! How's your shopping trip going?? I miss you! Check out the papers; I sent one of them a picture of us. Now the whole world will know of our love! See you soon! Love Misa xxxxxxx_Mello and Matt read the message over L's shoulder and gasped.

"Ouch..." Matt said after a lengthy pause.

"Misa..." Light growled under his breath "You _idiot_."


	4. Mellodramatic

Matt couldn't help smirking as Light dashed across the street to buy a paper. A sideways glance at Mello confirmed that he too was hiding an evil grin. L merely looked amused as Light arrived back with the paper, thrusting an angry finger at the picture.

"You can kinda tell," Mello said, moving closer to look at the picture. "She's posing."

They all stared at the picture. Sure enough, even though Misa was looking at Light, she was smiling straight at the camera. Light clenched his fist. Swearing at the top of his voice would probably not be a good idea, but he had a feeling it'd make him feel better.

"Is it so terrible, Light-kun?" L inquired, looking at the younger man.

"Yes! I wanted to make a name for myself... I don't want to be known for ever as Misa's boyfriend. I want to be well known in my own right."

L nodded sagely.

"Shall we go to the candy shop? That might make you feel better."

Despite his annoyance, Light smiled weakly at L's ideas that candy would make everything better.

"All right."

They set off, avoiding people as much as they could. Luckily it was quite early, so not many people were around. They found the candy shop, and Matt could almost hear Mello's eyes widen in delight at the huge chocolate fountain. L too had the air of a kid in... well, a candy shop. He almost ran at the display of sweets, while Mello went straight for the fountain. Matt smiled as Mello eagerly handed the shopkeeper his money, buying unlimited dips in the fountain. He clutched his paper cup tightly, plunging it into the chocolate and raising it to his lips. Matt watched as the blonde poured the chocolate into his mouth, smiling with pleasure. He lowered the cup, darting out his tongue to lick off chocolate that had spilled onto his lips.

"That's good shit," he sighed, refilling his cup.

Matt watched him, entranced. He had this odd feeling that he wanted to push his tongue inside Mello's mouth and taste the chocolate himself. He blinked. No way.

But as Mello drank the second cup, and a thin rivulet of slick brown chocolate ran from the corner of his mouth to his chin, Matt felt the exact same thing again. No way... he couldn't fancy Mello, could he? Not a chance. But God, how he wanted to push the blonde to the floor, to lap the chocolate off his face, to... oh shit. This was bad. He tried to think back to when they'd been in his room together. He'd never thought this before. Although... he had felt himself staring at the way that Mello's leather clothes clung so perfectly to his body.

He cursed silently. He needed a cigarette. He walked slowly out of the shop, leaning on the wall outside. He clenched the cigarette between his teeth, cupping his hand around the lighter as he ignited the end. He inhaled deeply, blowing out a column of smoke. He heard footsteps behind him, and watched Light walk out of the shop, shaking his head.

"I'm going to the record shop. Want to come? I'm pretty sure these guys won't be done for a while."

Matt looked through the window. L was lining up lollipops, frowning to himself, while Mello was showing no sign of relenting in his war against the chocolate fountain.

"Sure."

* * *

He tossed his cigarette over his shoulder as they crossed the road to the music store. Light walked over to check out the CDs while Matt made his way to the games. He decided to buy a few new DS games to keep him busy. He chose four, and then grabbed a copy of Halo 3. His other one was at home, and he missed Master Chief.  
He was lining up at the cash register when he saw a blonde figure walk into the shop. He paid for the games, pretending not to have noticed, walking out of the shop with Mello behind him.

"Thought you'd still be draining the city of chocolate." he said.

Mello shrugged, indicating the two bulging carrier bags.

''I bought a bit.''

"A bit??"

Mello laughed, looking over at Light.

"Dare you to ask if he's still buying Misa a present." he said to Matt in an undertone.

Matt smirked, walking over to pick up his fallen cigarette. He relit it and took a long drag. Waste not want not. Mello watched him, then yanked the cigarette out of his mouth, throwing it on the floor and grinding it into the stone with his heel. He stalked off, flanked by one of the bodyguards, glancing back at Matt, who standing dumbstruck. What the hell...?

"Come on."

Matt sighed, and then followed him.

* * *

Light frowned as he paid for a couple of CDs. Matt was nowhere to be seen. The brunette shrugged, wondering if L was still choosing candy. Sure enough, the messy haired actor had just gathered up an impossible pile of sweets and lollipops, and was carrying it over to pay for it. The shop keeper shook his head bemusedly as he started to scan in the many items of confectionery.

"Matt and Mello took off," Light told him. L frowned.

"Did they?"

He glanced at his bodyguard, who gave him a small nod.

"They have protection," L confirmed, smiling at the shopkeeper as he collected his stash of sugar and handed over his money. "I'm sure we can find them when we want to go back."

"Bookshop?" Light suggested. L nodded.

"Very well."

Light frowned as they made their way up the street. L confused him. Maybe he was as blank as the killers he played, but Light didn't think so. He'd seen the way L smiled at something only he knew, or when he was trying out a new candy. He smiled if you supplied him with candy. He smiled sometimes for Watari, who Light supposed was a father figure. He rarely smiled for anybody else. But Light couldn't decide whether he liked or disliked him. Maybe he just didn't have enough to go on yet.

* * *

Matt followed Mello down the street until they reached a small cafe. Matt looked at Mello with a raised eyebrow. Mello sat down at a table, hiding behind the menu. His icy blue eyes scoured the list of food. Matt rolled his eyes, sitting down as well.

"Isn't it a bit early for lunch?"

"Who said I wanted lunch?"

He smiled at the waitress, ordering hot chocolate and a chocolate brownie with chocolate sauce. Figures. Matt shrugged, ordering coffee and crumpets. Their food arrived, and Mello took a long sip of hot chocolate, sighing. He loved hot chocolate almost as much as real chocolate. He looked down at his brownie, and his face lit up. He took a bite, as Matt rolled his eyes again, biting into his crumpets. Suddenly a thought came into the redhead's mind. He grinned deviously, watching Mello drinking his hot chocolate. Matt reached across the table, snatching the blonde's brownie and taking a large bite. Mello's eyes widened in shock as Matt set the brownie back on its plate. Mello's face darkened.

"Prick." he scowled. Matt smiled innocently.

"You ruined my cigarette."

"I was saving you from lung cancer, dickhead."

"I'm saving you from diabetes." Matt answered coolly. Mello growled, eating the rest of the brownie before Matt could get any more.

"Careful I don't erase all your games," he snarled. Matt remained impassive.

"Then all your chocolate would get shovelled onto the fire," he replied. Mello scowled. He glared at the bodyguard that seemed to have been foloowing him around all day. God, that was so annoying.

He got to his feet, flinging money at the returning waitress and grabbing Matt's arm. Matt gulped down the rest of his coffee.

"Where are we going now?" he asked, striding beside Mello.

"Finding Light and L. I want to go home." Mello replied.

Matt smirked, straightening his goggles. The bodyguard seemed to be on his phone. He told Matt that the other muscle-man was with Light and L, and they were currently in the cake shop.

"Thanks," Matt said, relaying this information to Mello, who scowled.

"All very well, but where is the fucking cake shop?" he asked. Matt shrugged, and pointed at a massive sign depicting a slice of cake.

"Maybe there?"

Mello muttered something under his breath, striding towards the shop. Sure enough, Light was leaning against the window while L paid for a large box of cupcakes.

* * *

When they arrived back at the hotel, Misa was waiting for them. She flung herself into Light's arms.

"Light! Why didn't you answer my text?" she pouted. Light shook her off.

"How could you do such a stupid thing, Misa??"

She blinked at him.

"Stupid thing?"

"You sent pictures to a newspaper? How smart is that?! You didn't even ask me if I wanted them there, which I didn't. I can think of a million things I'd rather have done to me than that, one of which is Chinese water torture."

His voice was rising steadily, and Misa looked close to tears.

"B-bu... Light..."

"I don't want to talk to you." he answered, turning away and walking off.

He got to his room, and swiped his key card in the door. Nothing happened. He blinked, trying it again. Nothing.

"Oh, Light..." Misa piped up from behind him "I had all your things brought into my room. I thought we should share one since we're a couple."

Light froze.

"So... this isn't my room anymore?"

"No..."

"Right... I'm going to need some time to think."

Misa nodded sadly. Well, Light would be back soon. He couldn't hide any more. He had nowhere else to go.

Light however had no intention of going back anytime soon. And if any 'Lovers' Tiff!' articles cropped up in tomorrow's paper, he wouldn't be back ever. But... what if she did as she had threatened and had him fired from the movie? Well, she wouldn't give up so easily. He'd spend this night away, and review his situation tomorrow. But... where exactly would he go?  
He sighed, knocking on L's door.

"Light-kun." L nodded, opening the door to let him in.

"L...?"

"Hmm...?"

"Would I be able to sleep on your couch tonight? I had a bit of a spat with Misa, and she's taken my room away so I can't sleep there... it'll only be for one night."

"Of course you can, Light-kun."

Light blinked. He'd been expecting to have to plead and beg.

"In fact," L added "I quite enjoy your company."

Light blinked and then smiled. Well, if the man wanted to be friends, Light would be willing to offer friendship. It would give him a place to stay after all.

"Thank you," he said with a smile, sitting down beside the other man, who was tucking into one of the cakes he'd bought earlier.

* * *

Matt sat crosslegged on his bed, an ash tray on his lap. He was lighting matches, one after the other and letting them burn down until they almost scorched his fingertips, then dropping them into the tray. He smiled grimly as he got to the last match, striking it and watching the flame travel down the wood. He dropped it onto Knuckles' smirking face in the bottom of the ashtray, and sighed. A knock on the door made him look up. He shoved the ashtray onto his desk, walking to open the door. It was Mello.

"Godammit Matt, have you been setting your room on fire?" the blonde demanded, wrinkling his nose. Matt grinned.

"Not quite."

Mello rolled his eyes, flopping down on Matt's bed.

"Want to play Resident Evil?" Matt asked, sitting down beside him. Mello shook his head.

"Nah."  
The blonde sprawled out on the redheads' bed sheets, looking up at Matt.

"Hey, Matt? What colour are your eyes?" he asked with a frown. The orange goggles made it difficult to see.

"Green," Matt replied. Mello sat up.

"Lemme see."

"No," Matt replied, shaking his head. Mello frowned.

"Why not??"

"Because... I'll have red goggle marks around my eyes."

Mello stared at him, then burst out laughing.

"Matt..." he said between sniggers "You are such a dweeb."

Matt laughed, then sobered up.

"Seriously though."

Mello glared at him, tugging on the goggles. Why wouldn't Matt show him...?

"If you don't want goggle marks, why wear the freakin' things?" he asked, as Matt pulled back, refusing to let him take the goggles off.

"Why do you wear that stupid tight clothing?" Matt shot back "Isn't it really uncomfortable?"

Mello smirked, winking at Matt in a way that made the redhead's mouth water.

"Makes my ass look good."

Too right.

"Oh how vain you are," Matt replied, folding his arms and yawning to show Mello that he was in no way attracted to his friend's leather clad body.

"Matt... I want to see your eyes."

"Why?"

"Because I do."

Matt shrugged.

"Alright then." he said, moving to take off the goggles.

Mello helped him pull them over his head. The blonde stared into emerald eyes, and Matt stared back.

"Why do you hide your eyes behind those goggles?" Mello wondered aloud, as Matt reached to put the goggles back on. Mello grabbed his wrist.

"Leave 'em off." he said, his voice soft, but his tone commanding. "For a while at least. You don't even have marks."

Matt hesitated, then nodded.

"All right." he said, looking away.

He could feel that Mello was still looking at him. Matt frowned, running his fingers through his red hair thoughtfully. He heard Mello sigh.

"It's getting late. We should go to sleep."

"Yeah," Matt agreed, turning around to look at his friend.

He was going to give Mello a hug, but thought better of it.

"Good night, Mello."

"Good night," the blonde replied, shutting the door with a loud bang as he left the room.


	5. Light, Cameras, Action

Light woke up to a pair of dark eyes looking straight at him. He recoiled in surprise.

"L! You scared the shit out of me!"

"I'm sorry," L replied, dropping his gaze.

Light frowned. L was still in the chair he had been in when Light made up his bed on the couch and went to sleep. A pile of candy wrappers stood on the desk, along with a few empty cups. The bed was neat and had clearly not been slept in.

"Have you slept at all?"

"No. I did not feel like sleeping." L answered.

"Do you ever sleep?"

L cast him an amused look.

"Light-kun, if I never slept, I would be dead."

That was true. Light shivered. There was something creepy about the idea of the guy sitting there in his weird hunched over position, staring at Light while he slept.

"Would you like a game of tennis?" L asked suddenly. Light blinked.

"Sure."

He was pretty good at tennis. He'd been captain of the team at school, and had quite a few trophies at home.

"I don't have any of my sports gear though," Light remembered with a groan. It was all in Misa's room. No way was he going to go and get it from her.

"You'll have to see her at some point," L reminded him. Light sighed.

"Not yet."

Yeah, he knew that he'd have to face her at some time. Maybe he'd even say he was sorry. Kiss her cheek, hold her and promise that he'd never let her go. But not now.

"I'm not ready," he said, looking up at L.

The man looked at him blankly, and then nodded. He did not really understand the dynamics of a relationship, as he had never been in one. He'd never seen the point. He did however recognise that sometimes things became complicated, and this must be one of those times.

"I have some tennis clothes in my wardrobe," he offered.

Light nodded gratefully as L handed him a shirt and shorts. He would just wear his normal clothes. He hated wearing sports clothes, and besides, Light couldn't exactly play tennis in the clothes he had been wearing yesterday, and L had only one set of tennis gear.

* * *

They made their way to the tennis courts that were just outside the hotel. L collected rackets and a ball, and the game began. Light soon realised that L was good. Almost as good as he was. Light was determined that he would win, but he really had to concentrate on keeping his head level and his eyes on the ball. After a particularly tricky serve from L, he almost missed it returning it, but managed to hit it back. L was surprised at how skilled Light was, and how determined. Like L, Light clearly hated losing. L hit the ball fiercely back at the other man, hoping that the shot was just a little low for the brunette to return. Light managed to hit the ball, but it was out, and L was winning.

Light's eyes narrowed. On his next serve, he managed to get a ball past L, and the score was levelled. L raised his eyebrows, bouncing the tennis ball along the ground. He whacked the ball at Light as hard as he could. Light swung the ball back, L just managing to return it. The game was getting more aggressive now. Both men were entirely absorbed in the game, and neither of them noticed when Misa arrived, biting her lip as she watched her 'boyfriend' hit the tennis ball straight past his opponent. Light had won.

"Good game," L panted, wiping his forehead.

Light nodded, resting his racket on his forehead. He opened his eyes slowly, looking through the mesh of the racket at the blonde figure at the side of the pitch. Misa...

He sighed. Now would be as good a time as any to make up.

"Misa.." he said, walking towards her "Look... I'm sorry for shouting at you. You can understand why, can't you?"

Misa nodded.

"I'm sorry I made you angry, Light..."

"It's okay," he said with a flash of his teeth, pulling her into a hug. He kissed the top of her head as she clung to him. Wow... that was easy. But he'd have to keep up the pretence. Well, he is an actor.

"I forgive you. Do you forgive me?" he asked, his tone concerned. She nodded.

"Of course I do. I love you, Light."

Light pressed a kiss to her lips, and she responded eagerly. He pulled away, kissing her forehead.

* * *

That night, Light spent the night in Misa's room. He slept on the couch, telling her that he didn't want to rush their relationship. To his surprise, she didn't argue with him. Maybe it wouldn't be so difficult to bluff his way through... five... months... scary thought. Well, one day at a time. Maybe she'd get bored of him after a while. One could only hope. And he would try and spend some time on his own or with L to get a bit of the days to himself.

* * *

Monday was an exciting day for the young actors as they would begin filming some scenes in costume. Each one would need going over until they had it perfectly, but it was more interesting than what they had been doing before. The first scene they would be doing was Akio and Kentaro discovering Daisuke's death. Matt was hustled up to make-up to look dead, while Light and Mello would be sent for to have their less technical make-up done a little later.

* * *

Light pulled on his costume in his dressing room; a polo shirt and jeans. Mello's costume was equally suburban, and when the others came up to have their faces done, he barely recognised the blonde. Matt himself had to discard his goggles, but his emerald eyes were hidden with brown contacts to make him look more like Light. He also an ashen white face, gouges and cuts adorning his body, and his clothing ripped. They would use effects to make him look more mangled.

"You look like a zombie," Mello commented.

Matt smiled. He and Mello had barely spoken yesterday; Matt had holed himself up in his room with his new games, and Mello had been getting his hair done... for three hours.

"You have to shoot me then," Matt teased.

Mello made his hand into a gun shape, miming sending a bullet into his friend's skull. Matt staggered backwards, pretending to be fatally wounded. Light smiled with vague bewilderment at their antics. Then the three boys walked down to the set of 'Akio's House.' L and Misa would also be doing filming today; Misa working on her suicide monologue while L was practising one of his own creepy serial killer soliloquies.

They got into position, and the work began. Matt lay sprawled in the middle of Daisuke's bedroom in a pool of blood. He had to say that it would look pretty impressive on screen. Mello shuddered for real as he looked at Matt's prone form through the open bedroom door.

_Akio barged in, his heart freezing in his chest as he saw his twin, his vivid red hair stained deeper with his own blood.  
"Dai...suke..." he choked. Kentaro appeared behind him, letting out a strangled cry when he saw Daisuke.  
"Oh... God...no... no..."  
Tears spilled down Akio's cheeks as he knelt by his brother. Kentaro sobbed uncontrollably, pulling Daisuke upright and hugging him tightly. Akio reached up to his brother's hifi to turn off the pounding rock music.  
"Oh Christ... why him?" Kentaro whimpered, pressing his lips against Daisuke's forehead._S

Somehow Matt managed to stay limp and lifeless as Mello held him. He fought the urge to laugh when the blonde gave him a roguish wink out of the view of the camera.

_"I swear I will get justice..." Kentaro said, straightening up as Akio looked up, tears streaming down his face.  
"Kentaro.. wait..."  
Kentaro slammed the door as he stormed off, his angry shouts still heard as he made his way out of the house. _

"Cut!"

Light sat up from his curled up position on the ground, Matt got to his feet, and Mello reappeared, tech guys surrounding him to wash off the 'blood' that had got on his hands.

"Excellent! Great emotion there, Mello. Very raw. Light, nice body language. Just try and get across a little more desperation, contrasting with Kentaro's anger. This guy had succeeding in wounding you so severely that you don't know whether you can take it any more. Okay, once more from the top."

* * *

By lunch time, all of the actors were tired out.

"My throat hurts from manical laughter," L complained as they all sat down in the cafeteria. Misa was annoyed that her suicide was so messy.

"It's really not Misa's best look," she frowned "I had to make my make-up run, and those fake blood packs are so _sticky_."

Mello rolled his eyes at Matt.

"Where's squid boy?

"He isn't filming any scenes today. He's only in a few," Matt reminded him, taking 'squid boy' to mean Near. "He's probably off buying toys or something."

"Ah good, good." Mello replied brightly, snapping a square of chocolate off with his teeth. "Are we still doing Murdered Matt after lunch?"

"Yeah," Light replied with a small sigh. "I don't know, that scene just gets to me. I can't wait till I get to murder Mello and L."

"Charming." Mello replied, while L merely smirked.

"I don't know what you're complaining about. I love my death scene," Matt said.

"Yeah, 'cause you get me and Light crying over you. And it must take amazing acting skills to lie on the floor," Mello snorted, elbowing Matt in the ribs.

* * *

"And once again! This time, Mello, I want you to sort of sit on Matt's knee when you're holding him. It'll make the scene a lot more poignant. We'll just try it once, and see if it works. Um... yeah, put one leg on either side... yeah, that's it. Right, positions!"

Christ, were they trying to kill him in real life? Mello straddled him, pulling him to a sitting position and leaning his head on Matt's shoulder as he sobbed. Matt could smell Mello's silky hair, feel his breath on his skin, feel him pressing their bodies close to each other. Mello's sobbing reverberated through both of them. Matt hoped he wasn't getting a hard-on. He doubted he could blame it on rigor mortis. The pounding of blood in his ears was so loud he was surprised Mello couldn't hear it over his and Light's wailing. After what seemed like a year of torture, Mello got off him. Matt was strangely disappointed. His neck still tingled where Mello's lips had been pressed against it.

"Yeah, I think that's a lot more convincing. Mello, we'll try it again like that."

Matt stifled a groan. Great.

* * *

When they had finished filming, they went back to the hotel. Matt took a shower to get rid of the dry feeling that being caked in make-up gave him. He'd had most of the make-up removed before they'd left the set; they didn't want to scare any passersby. Matt dried off, pulling on his favourite striped shirt and his goggles of course. He towelled his hair until it was almost dry, tugging a comb through it, and then powering up his DS. He picked up the phone and called Mello's room. There was no answer. He frowned, looking at the receiver in confusion. Maybe Mello was taking a shower as well.

He heard a knock on his door, and went to open it. He smiled, letting Mello inside.

"I was just trying to phone you," he said.

"I heard the phone as I was closing the door," Mello grinned, sitting on Matt's bed.

"What are you playing?" he asked, looking at the DS.

"Mario Kart."

"But... don't you have that on Wii?" Mello asked in confusion. Matt nodded with a small shrug.

"Yeah, but I got the DS version first."

Mello rolled his eyes.

"Want to call room service? We could get some champagne to celebrate our first day of filming."

Matt nodded, picking up the phone again and dialling for some refreshments.

He started a new game of Mario Kart while they waited. He had just managed to overtake Peach when there was a knock at the door. Mello slid off the bed and went to let room service in. His eyes widened when he saw that Matt had also ordered a tray of chocolate truffles.

Matt steered Mario's car into the finish and turned his DS off. He turned to Mello, who was starting on the chocolate truffles. Matt went over to pour the drinks. They sat down, Mello balancing the tray of truffles on his lap.

"Um... to Kira-Kira." Matt said, raising his glass.

Mello clinked their glasses together, and swallowed a mouthful of champagne.

"We're doing _my_ death scene tomorrow," Mello grinned "I get to act nuts and shout at Light, then get shot."

"Sounds more dramatic than mine, which you don't even see," Matt grumbled "You just see me looking up, and L's reflection in the mirror, and then the next time you see me is when I'm all mangled."

"Yeah well, your death is tragic. And you get to talk to Light through the freaky notebook."

"Least we'll be together in heaven."

"You kidding? I'd obviously go to hell."

Matt laughed, lighting a cigarette.

"Then I'd go with you."

"What, and give up a paradise of frolicking with Spyro and Link in a video game eternity?" Mello teased. Matt grinned.

"Yeah, but it'd be kind of boring on my own. It'd be more fun to be in hell with you."

"Aw, that's sweet," Mello replied, dipping a truffle in his champagne and popping it into his mouth. He gave Matt a sideways smile, and finished off his glass. He reached for the bottle, and Matt raised his eyebrows.

"Don't drink the whole bottle," he warned.

Mello shrugged.

"Why not? Can always get some more."

"Yeah, but that's not the point."

Mello poured a generous amount in his own glass, then topped up Matt's. There was only a little champagne left in the bottle now.

"You're meant to _sip_ champagne, idiot," Matt sighed, pointedly drinking his own glass slowly. "Hey, did you eat all the truffles?"

"Awww, sorry. They were just so chocolatey!"

Matt shook his head with a small smile. Mello ought to be careful or he'd get drunk... off two glasses of champagne. The redhead laughed slightly.

"Hey, Matt. How old are you?"

Matt blinked, looking at the blonde.

"Eighteen. You?"

"Nineteen."

"Why did you want to know?"

"I was just asking. Do you dye your hair?"

"No, actually."

"More champagne?"

Mello emptied the bottle into Matt's glass. Matt sipped it, looking at Mello's own empty glass.

"I don't do anything slowly," Mello explained "Life's too short."

"If life was so short, you'd be drinking vodka not champagne."

Mello chuckled, getting up and walking to place the truffle tray and champagne glass on Matt's desk. To his credit, he walked in a completely straight line without only a small wobble. He raised his eyebrows at Matt's surprise.

"I can hold my drink." the blonde said, sitting back next to Matt with his legs crossed. "I'm ordering more."

"Mello... don't you dare."

* * *

"I can't believe you ordered more." Matt said, folding his arms.

"Hey, it's a celebration!" Mello grinned.

"If you throw up, you're cleaning it up."

"S'not gonna happen."

Mello had drunk a bottle to himself by now, at least. Matt was just starting on his... oh, he had lost count, and he was getting very light headed. Mello poured out another glass, biting into one of the chocolate covered strawberries he'd also ordered. Matt sighed, tipping the last drop of champagne into his own glass and drinking it.

"There, it's all gone now. No more, 'kay, Mel? Mello?"

Mello was fast asleep, the empty strawberry plate clutched to his chest, his empty glass lying beside him. Matt sighed, putting them on the side. Maybe he should take Mello back to his room? Ah, sod it. He couldn't be bothered. He crawled onto the bed and fell asleep.


	6. Anear

**Hey, in case some of you don't know, the chapter title means 'approach.' Sorry I did Light twice, I just couldn't resist the last one.**

Matt woke up at the sound of his alarm with a banging headache. He groaned, reaching to turn off the shrill noise that was piercing his eardrums. He flopped back onto the bed, holding his head. It was a while before he remembered Mello. He peered at the blonde, who was still out like a light. His eyes were closed and he was curled into a ball, a peaceful expression on his face. He looked far younger than when he was awake, and there wasn't a trace of a smirk or a frown on his face. He was clutching his rosary as if in prayer, his blonde hair falling messily over his face. Matt sighed, closing his eyes. He didn't want to get up yet.

Mello awoke with a start and a hangover, looking wildly around for a clock. Matt was lying next to him, goggles askew. Much as Mello hated to wake him, it had to be done.

"Matt! Get the hell up! We're late!"

Matt sat up, looking around blearily.

"Ugh... this is your fault, Mello." he moaned, straightening his goggles. Mello sighed impatiently.

"Whatever. Come on, get up."

He tugged on Matt's arm. Matt got up slowly, noticing the time as he pulled on his sneakers.

"Holy shit!" he yelped. Mello made an impatient noise, pulling on his boots.

"Come the fuck on!" he said, already halfway out of the door.

"Wait the fuck up!" Matt retorted, dashing after him.

* * *

They arrived at the set out of breath and half an hour late.

"Sorry, we overslept," Mello panted. Light raised his eyebrows, hiding a smirk. Matt rolled his eyes.

"Not funny, Light. I have a hangover and I feel crap."

"You have a hangover? I drank twice as much as you." Mello snapped.

"Yeah and whose fault is that, smartass?"

"Shut up."

Light rolled his eyes at them.

"You'd better get into make-up. We're meant to be starting now."

* * *

They set off, Light laughing quietly at them and picking up a magazine to read while he waited. Well, at least Mello was supposed to be stressed out in this scene. And Matt was only there as a hallucination. He didn't even have to speak.

"Right, _finally_!"

Matt and Mello turned up in the warehouse set, Mello with a blood pack under his shirt and his hair mussed up with spray and wielding a fake gun.

_"Kentaro... what the hell are you doing?!" Akio asked, looking in horror at his friend. Kentaro pointed the gun at Akio's head.  
"It's your fault Daisuke died! If it wasn't for you he'd still be alive!" Kentaro roared, firing at Akio. Akio dived out of the way, holding his hands up in protest.  
"Didn't you wonder who was telling HIM everything about you?"  
"What??"  
"You don't deserve to live, Akio! You should have died, and Daisuke should have lived!"  
Akio looked up at him, tears running down his face.  
"Don't you understand? The man you've been helping is the one who killed Daisuke!"  
Kentaro stared at him.  
"You're lying!" he screamed "Stop lying!"_

_He fired wildly at Akio, who threw himself backwards, yowling with pain as he clutched his hand, which was dripping with blood. Kentaro had dropped the gun, and kicked Akio backwards, punching him mercilessly through his sobs. Akio's hand scrabbled on the floor. Kentaro realised what he was doing, snatching the gun at the same time as Akio grabbed it. They fought for it, the gun slippery with Akio's blood. Kentaro looked over Akio's shoulder, and saw Daisuke sitting on an empty crate. He stared at him in disbelief, and the gun went off. Kentaro's eyes widened as he opened and closed his mouth soundlessly. Blood was seeping through his shirt. Akio sat backwards in shock, and then ran. Kentaro coughed, his hand over the gun wound. He blinked slowly, and when he opened his eyes, Daisuke was kneeling beside him. He touched his forehead with a gentle smile, and then disappeared. Kentaro closed his eyes, tears still coursing slowly down his cheeks, and was still._

"Cut!"

Matt helped Mello to his feet. Mello picked up the gun, spinning it around like a gangster.

"Always wanted one of these," he muttered. Matt shook his head firmly.

"Not a chance."

"How's your hangover?"

"A bit better."

They'd both had a couple of aspirin in make-up, and although it didn't help loads, it was a good placebo.

* * *

By the time they were due to go back to the hotel, their heads were much better. They went into Matt's room, glad to see that the maid had cleared away the empty glasses and trays. Matt flicked through his game collection.

"What do you want to play?"

"Do you _have_ to play video games all the time?" Mello asked, stretching.

"Do you have to eat chocolate all the time?" Matt shot back, just as Mello pulled out a new bar.

Mello blinked a few times, then scowled.

"Fine, we'll play Call of Duty then."

Matt grinned, plugging in a couple of controllers and sitting down next to the blonde. He glanced sideways at him, and then paused, about to turn the TV on.

"What?" Mello asked, looking at him.

"Oh... nothing..." Matt said quietly, and then he'd pressed his lips against Mello's and he was kissing him, and he'd ruined everything. He pulled away, staring at Mello. Mello stared back, his blue eyes wide.

"Shit..." Matt said in shock, turning away.

How could he be so stupid? He could have lost the best friend he'd ever had. He felt a hand on his shoulder, and Mello yanked him round to face him.

"Christ Mello, I'm sorry," he began. Mello smirked.

"Shut the fuck up," he said, grabbing the front of Matt's shirt and kissing him furiously.

He tasted of chocolate and... Mello.  
Matt responded hungrily, moving closer to Mello and wrapping his arms around his waist. Mello shifted so he was sitting in front of Matt, wrapping his legs around him. Matt bent his legs on either side of him to give him more space to move. The blonde pressed up against him, his rosary digging into Matt's chest as their tongues entwined. Matt moaned as Mello bit his bottom lip, retaliating by pushing Mello down on the bed and kissing him even harder. Mello arched into him, kissing him back and then rolling them over so he was on top.

"No way I'm doing uke..." he muttered, looking down at Matt.

He removed the redhead's goggles before kissing him again, pushing his hands inside Matt's shirt. He traced the gamer's muscles slowly, tugging the shirt over Matt's head. Matt grabbed Mello's shoulders, flipping him over and straddling him, regaining his original position. Mello growled as Matt held him down, unzipping his vest and pulling it off, along with the rosary. The redhead kissed his neck, flicking his tongue along Mello's collarbone. Mello sighed, pressing his chest against Matt's.  
Matt sighed softly. His body felt like it was on fire; his trousers were too tight and they were nowhere near as close fitting as  
Mello's.

Mello frowned. He slid further down underneath Matt, clamping his teeth on his nipple. Matt gasped, and Mello managed to tip him over, gaining dominance once more. He sucked slowly on Matt's nipple, then trailed his tongue further down his body. He undid Matt's pants, sliding his trousers and boxers down. Matt kicked them off, and Mello looked up at him with a smirk. He ran his tongue along Matt's erection before taking it fully into his mouth. Matt's eyes slid shut and he moaned in ecstacy as a heady rush swept over his body.

"Mello, I'm..." he started, bucking his hips as he came into Mello's mouth.

Mello licked his lips as he removed his mouth.  
Mello slid up Matt, looking down at him with a malevolent smile.

"God you're good," Matt said in breathless wonder.

He grabbed the waistband of Mello's trousers, undoing it quickly, and starting to remove the tight leather.

"Why do you wear... such annoying trousers?" he demanded, as Mello helped him to peel them off.

"I told you. They look good."

"You look better without them." Matt remarked when they too had been discarded.

Mello grinned, letting Matt pin him down. The redhead started to return the favour Mello had just given him, moving his tongue in small fast strokes and making Mello moan out. The blonde tangled his hands in Matt's red hair, almost purring from the feel of Matt's mouth. He let out a throaty moan as he came.

"You're not bad either," he panted, swiping his hair out of his eyes and pulling Matt up to kiss him.

They rolled over in a tangle of limbs, Mello rubbing against his lover like a cat as Matt kissed his neck, sucking on his earlobe and stroking his hair. Mello pressed as close to Matt as he could, rotating his hips and pushing his crotch against the gamer's. Matt hissed as the blonde slammed their hips together, giving Matt a sadistic grin as he grabbed Matt's thighs, sliding them slowly up. He put his hands on the redhead's shoulders, kissing him once before pushing into him. Matt groaned from pain and pleasure. He'd never known anything like this, and it wasn't like he was inexperienced. Well... maybe with men.

"Mello..." he gasped "Mmmm... harder."

Mello didn't need telling twice, and Matt moaned loudly, writhing underneath Mello and arousing him further. He threw his head back as he climaxed, and both men panted for breath, collapsing onto the sheets.

"Matt..." Mello said, curling himself around the redhead. Matt wrapped his arms around the blonde, nuzzling his neck with his teeth.

"That was the best fuck I've _ever_ had," Mello told him, his blue eyes still filled with lust. "But... I don't want it just to be a fuck. I mean, I want to be your boyfriend. Not just a friend-with-benefits."

Matt responded by kissing him, stroking the inside of his mouth passionately with his tongue.

"I agree."

"You do?" Mello asked in relief "I thought I might have been acting a bit... needy or something."

Matt laughed, his eyes twinkling.

"Want to go again?"

**Yay! **


	7. Mattinee

Near sat cross legged in his hotel room, a plastic robot cradled in his lap. The floor was littered with playing cards, stacks of matches, heaps of toys and pyramids of dice. His half finished domino tower stood in the middle of the room. The boy frowned slightly, checking the clock. It was almost time to get up anyway; he might as well go down for an early breakfast. He opened his door in time to see Matt and Mello coming out of the room opposite. They had decided earlier that they were going to keep their relationship under wraps. It wouldn't be too hard, and it'd be better than having their faces plastered all over the papers. Neither of them wanted that kind of publicity.

Near blinked, holding his robot by one arm as Mello's face contorted in annoyance.

"What the hell are you doing up so early?" Mello demanded as Matt locked the door behind them. Near tilted his head to one side.

"Am I not allowed to be up at this time?" he asked innocently.

Matt looked at Mello, hoping he wasn't going to throw the kid down the stairs or something. Mello merely threw Near a scathing look, straightening his rosary and walking past. The redhead followed, glancing back at Near. Near frowned, twirling a finger in his fair hair and waiting until the men were out of sight before following. He didn't know why Mello was so angry, but he knew that the blonde hated him anyway. Maybe he had another hangover or something. Near didn't really care.

* * *

When he got downstairs, he sat at a table a little way from Mello and Matt. He ate his breakfast with one hand, looking thoughtfully at the finger puppets on two of the fingers of his other. He pulled the puppets off, placing them by his robot on the table top and picking up his knife.

* * *

Light and Misa were the next ones to arrive downstairs. Light had suggested they get an early breakfast as he was hungry. Actually, he just wanted an excuse not to make out with Misa for twenty minutes. Light sat down, and looked over at Mello and Matt curiously. He hadn't seen either one of them up this early before. And where was L? He'd expect the insomniac to be downstairs an hour earlier than the rest of them; he was always in the breakfast room before Light. Misa smiled at him, batting her eyelashes over her cup of tea. He smiled back distractedly, wondering where L was...

* * *

Aizawa listened to the sound of the shower pounding on his afro, his head cradled in his hands. There was no way his wife would take him back after the argument they'd had by telephone the night before. She was filing for divorce. His daughter would be taken away from him. His family were going off to his mother-in-law's. His marriage was over. His family was broken. He had tried to ignore it, but he had to admit he'd seen it coming. He'd just pretended that everything was fine. He dried off, stuffing himself into a neat suit, and slathering his face with shaving foam. He was going to tie up some details for Light today. He'd play his part, no matter what he felt like inside. He beamed at himself in the mirror. Not a trace of heart break in that smile. He should be the bloody actor, not just the agent.

* * *

L sat alone in his room, his thumb between his teeth. He was curled on the windowsill, cut off from the rest of the room by his curtains. He looked blankly through the glass at the world outside the hotel, frozen in time as he watched the world moving. He realised that he had no idea of the time, and stretched backwards through the curtains to look at the clock. His huge eyes widened further as he realised that, although he wasn't running late, he was usually downstairs by this time. He slid off the sill, and padded across the room.

* * *

The actors arrived at the set a little while later and made their way to their rooms. Light kissed Misa before slipping into his room. She blew him a kiss, and retreated into her own room. Light sat down and sighed deeply. Misa seemed to be growing more infatuated with him by the day. Well, there was a silver lining to her delusion; it'd mean she wouldn't suspect that he was in fact stringing her along and pretending to love her as deeply as she loved him.

"You don't love her, do you?"

Light spun around in shock. L stood in front of him, his head tilted questioningly.

"When did you come in...?"

L shrugged, sitting down on Light's couch. He repeated his question.

"Why are you asking me this?" Light asked in confusion. L looked at him, his eyes wide.

"Because I don't think you do love her, Light-kun. You used to avoid her by coming into my room, and now you spend more time with her, but I can see you sighing when she says something unintelligent or calls you by some infantile term of endearment. You seem a lot happier when she is not in the room. I conclude that whatever you feel for Misa-san is _not_love. I would say that you were using her for her money. But after your response to her little newspaper stunt, I have ruled out that possibility. So what are you up to, Light Yagami?"

"Why do you care?" Light demanded, folding his arms "It isn't as if you're fond of Misa, is it?"

"Shall we call it an investigation of your personality? So far I know you're a liar."

"Everybody lies, L. It depends on how you use the truth that matters."

L was silent for a few moments, gnawing on his thumbnail. Light stared at him, his eyes narrowed. L better not blow his cover, or he'd be screwed. And he wasn't as good at charming guys as he was girls. Especially a super intelligent anti social creep. But.. wait a minute. Maybe... maybe he ought to tell him the truth. Who knows, a super intelligent anti social creep might be able to help him work out a plan of action.

"Well, since you have admitted that you are lying to Misa-san, I have come up with two possibilities. It is possible that you simply like the idea of breaking Misa's heart. But I do not think this is likely. What I am suggesting is that you had another reason for this, and that there is a motive for your pretence, perhaps out of your control. That is why you are looking so uptight right now. That also explains why you look so uncomfortable with Misa-san."

Light stared at him.

"Yes, you're right! Misa..."

"...I believe that Misa-san has something against you, which she is using as a leverage, and you are staying with her out of fear. So what is it, Light-kun?" L interruppted, folding his arms across his knees.

"... she says she'll fire me from the movie." Light admitted. L blinked.

"Yes, that makes sense. And you're going along with it to save your career?"

"What choice do I have?" Light asked bitterly "I'll never get hired again if I get fired from this picture. It'll be over..."

"I see what you mean," L said slowly. Yes, Misa Amane could certainly damage Light's career. He'd never be able to get a decent acting job again. Was this the kind of desperate act unrequited love drove one to?

Light frowned darkly, looking away from L's fathomless eyes to stare at the ceiling.

"Any suggestions, then?" he asked. He heard L sigh from behind him.

"I can't see what you can do right now. It seems to me like you're doing all you can," he said finally. He was sure he'd be able to think of a way to sort out Light's problems, but he'd have to think it over. He couldn't come up with a solution this quickly. For now, Light'd just have to play along with Misa's fantasy.

"Okay..." Light nodded "But you won't tell anybody, will you?"

"Of course not," L replied with a raised eyebrow. Light smiled in gratitude, and L was surprised to see that for once, Light wasn't just baring his teeth in a charming grin, nor was he smirking or sneering. This was an actual real smile that went straight to his eyes. Quite a nice smile as well. L blinked, and stood up, ready to leave.

"Hey... want to practise our lines or something before filming?" Light asked him, grabbing his arm to stop him getting up. L looked at him, and then smiled.

"Yes, all right then."

* * *

At lunch time, Light and L sat down in the cafeteria after a morning of filming L's character's murder. Misa skipped over, sitting by Light and flipping her hair over her shoulder. L studied her carefully as she chatted inanely about her day. It was amazing that she thought she could just win Light's heart. L had no idea of love, but he was certain you couldn't force it to happen. It was something that just happened, wasn't it? Well, he supposed that Misa deserved to be tricked if she was going to blackmail Light. It was all karma. And Light really didn't have a choice.

Mello and Matt slid into seats opposite them, and Matt started to talk to Light about last night's sports game. Mello rolled his eyes, leaning back in his seat. He didn't give a shit about sports. Misa looked bored as well, and she was tugging on Light's arm to get some attention from her boyfriend. Light waved her off, telling her to wait a second as he wanted to finish the conversation first. Personally Mello thought that Light was making an excuse not to talk to Misa. Misa sulked, looking down at her plate. Mello smirked as an idea came to him. Misa had no idea how to get a guy's attention.

Mello looked up at the ceiling, toying with his food with one hand and slipping his hand onto Matt's thigh under the table. The redhead's eyes widened slightly in surprise, but he carried on talking to Light. Mello laughed inwardly as he casually unbuttoned Matt's pants one-handed, sliding his hand into Matt's boxers. Matt closed his eyes as heat rushed through him. He was finding it increasingly difficult to listen to what Light was saying and even harder to produce coherent answers. Mello was such a dick. He shot him a sideways look. The blonde looked at him innocently, while his devilish fingers stroked and teased the redhead to near breaking point.

"Are you okay, Matt?" Light asked, looking at him with concern.

"Oh.. yeah... got a stomach ache, that's all." he replied, managing not to moan as Mello worked his dark magic. Mello tilted his head, giving him a mock sympathetic look.

"Are you going to be all right for filming this afternoon?" L asked.

"Uh... uhnn... yeah, I'll take some paracetemol and I should be... ahhhh... okay..." Matt mumbled. He grabbed Mello's wrist casually, removing his hand and doing up his pants before getting up and leaving the table before his head exploded. He turned around quickly before the others saw his erection.

"Gonna go get some tablets," he called over his shoulder. Mello chuckled under his breath as he watched Matt dash off.

"I'll go see if he's okay," he said, getting up himself and following Matt. The redhead disappeared inside his dressing room, and Mello hurried to catch up. He knocked on the door, calling

"Matt, it's me."

"Come in..."

Matt glared at Mello as the blonde came in, looking at him with a smirk.

"Not funny." he said with a mixture between a snarl and a smirk. "Come and sort it out."

Mello's smile grew wider as he pushed Matt onto the couch and knelt in front of him, slowly unzipping his trousers.

"Hurry the fuck up." Matt groaned as Mello toyed with the waistband of his boxers. Mello slid them down, surrounding Matt with his warm mouth. Matt thrust into the blonde's mouth, grabbing the edge of the couch for support. Mello pressed against Matt's legs, looking up at Matt's flushed face through his blonde hair as he twirled his tongue expertly around the redhead's length. As Matt moaned his satisfaction, he decided that he didn't mind Mello's drastic attention grabbing at all.

When Matt and Mello returned to the cafeteria fifteen minutes later, Matt's stomach ache had significantly improved and both men had small smug smiles as they sat back down at the table to enjoy the remainder of lunch. Their food however was almost cold.

**Haha, I love Matt and Mello. And it won't be long till L and Light... :D  
The opening to that chapter was a bit weird, but I wanted to have a bit of Near in it somewhere, and I thought it'd be interesting to do a bit of POV skipping. **


	8. L ementary

That evening, Light told Misa that he had organised a night of playing pool with the other guys. He hadn't, but he was sure he could do. It seemed like Misa was making him a whole lot more social than he used to be...

He called on L first. The dark haired man agreed to a game, scooping the remainder of the cake he was eating into his mouth and following Light. Next they tried Near's room. The kid peeped out of the door with a model train hugged to his chest. Light could see what looked like the contents of the toy shop in the room behind him. Near tilted his head to one side to listen to Light's invitation, and then shook his head.

"No thank you." he replied politely, spinning the wheels of the train with one hand.

He'd rather be alone. Anyway, they'd probably be playing with Mello and Matt as well, and Near knew that the blonde would hate it if he came along. He could always play his own games in his own room.

Light shrugged as Near stepped back into his room and closed the door. They tried Mello's room next, but there was no answer. He was probably in Matt's room, then.

* * *

Mello wrapped his legs around Matt's waist, moaning as the redhead planted butterfly kisses on his bare chest. A loud knock on the door made them spring apart. Matt disentangled himself from the blonde, tiptoeing over to the door and looking through the spyhole. He saw Light and L standing outside, the brunette raising his fist to knock again. Mello scooped up his fallen clothes, darting into the bathroom and shutting the door behind him. Matt pulled on his clothes hurriedly, pulling his goggles over his eyes and opening the door.

"Oh, hey Light, L." he said casually. He suddenly realised that Mello's vest was lying in the middle of the floor. Oh shit.

"Hey Matt, is Mello there?" Light asked, trying to peer past him. Matt blocked his path, thinking quickly.

"Yeah, he's just using the bathroom. Did you want him?"

"Actually we were wondering if you two wanted to play pool."

"Uh... yeah, sure."

"Cool. Should we come in and wait for Mello?"

"N-no... we'll meet you down there."

There was no way the other two would believe that Mello decided to go to the toilet half naked.

"Okay, see you in a few minutes then..." Light said, looking a little suspicious. Matt beamed at him, closing the door and breathing a sigh of relief.

"You can come out now," he called to Mello. The blonde sashayed out of the door and up to him, ruffling his hair with a smirk as he picked up his vest. Matt trailed a finger along his bare skin as Mello pulled the vest on, chasing Matt's finger with his zip.

"Come on. We have a pool game to get to." he said with a roll of his eyes, brushing past Matt. The redhead grabbed his wrist, stealing one last kiss before they left the room.

* * *

They met up with the other two by one of the pool tables on the ground floor. Light and L had already got the equipment and were busy setting up the pool balls on the table. Mello took his stick, twirling it in his hand like a baton. He perched on the edge of the table and ground his chalk block onto it.

"So, how are we gonna do this? Like, teams?" he asked, swinging his legs. Light shrugged.

"Yeah, all right. Me and L against you and Matt?"

"Perfect." Mello smirked, laying his stick across his thighs.

He glanced at Matt, who raised his eyebrows. Mello smiled smugly. They were going to win.

L started, rolling the stick over his knuckles and expertly sending the cue ball across the table. Light grinned at him, and Mello scowled. Matt however wasn't bad either, ricocheting the ball off the sides and neatly pocketing the ball he'd been aiming for. The game was more interesting with all four players being pretty good at pool. But Mello was certain that they'd win. He nodded firmly as he took the stick for his turn.

* * *

In fact, Matt and Mello did win that round. Matt beamed and gave the blonde a high five, as Light frowned.

"Best out of three?" he suggested, rolling the cue ball around his palm. Mello nodded in agreement, smirking at L, who shrugged as he took aim for his shot.

Light grinned as he potted the last ball, smirking at Mello, who ground his teeth.

"We're gonna kick their asses." he muttered, prodding Matt towards the table. But before they were even halfway into the game, Aizawa came running towards them, out of breath and looking terrified.

"Light! Oh my god, thank god I found you... Christ..."

Light looked at him in alarm.

"What's going on?" he asked as Aizawa leant against the pool table, panting.

"It's Misa-san... you'd better come with me."

Light stared at him. What was going on? He followed his agent, L and the others close behind him. He heard a simultaneous intake of breath as Aizawa skidded into the lobby, and they saw the ambulance... and the dark haired man being bundled into a police van.

"That bitch isn't good enough for Light-sama!" he screamed, his eyes wide.

He spotted Light, and stretched out a hand to him, before the officer pushed him inside and slammed the doors. Light stared at the ambulance, and then ran towards it. Misa was strapped onto a trolley and an oxygen mask was clamped over her mouth. She was very pale, and her eyes were closed. The paramedics let Light inside, and then the ambulance was gone in a clash of sirens and flash of lights.

L watched the vehicle racing off, and looked behind him at Matt and Mello, both of whom looked shocked.

"What happened?" L asked Aizawa, who looked shaken.

"That man, Mikami... he's a long term fan of Light's... after seeing him in a commercial or something. He used to send him about fifty emails and voicemails and texts a day, calling him his God. Light changed his email address and got a new phone number... we thought it was over. But he must have found out where Light was staying... he went up to find his room and saw Misa coming out of hers, and he recognised her from that article as being Light's girlfriend. And well... he had a knife..."

Mello and Matt shared stunned looks, while L stared at Aizawa blankly. It was true that all of them found Misa infuriating, but they weren't as heartless as to be glad that she'd been attacked.

"Everybody else is okay?" Matt asked in concern. Aizawa nodded.

"Most of the other guests were in their rooms at the time. I had just come out when Mikami ran off, and security stopped him from leaving. It... it was..."

He shuddered at the memory of finding Misa covered in blood. He heard a sound from behind them, and turned. Matsuda sprinted towards them, his eyes wild.

"I just heard! Is she..."

"We don't know." Aizawa said quietly.

Matsuda swallowed, putting a comforting arm around his friend. Matt took Mello's arm, suggesting they went back to his room. L watched them go, and then Matsuda taking Aizawa inside for a glass of water. He stood by himself for a moment, his thumb between his lips as he thought to himself. After a few minutes, he too went inside, crouching on his window sill with a box of sweets. He felt so sorry for Light, even though he knew that the man was not in love with Misa. It must still be a huge shock. He hoped that Misa would be all right, no matter what she may have done in the past to Light... to the man that L had fallen in love with.

* * *

Later that night, he heard a knock at the door. He opened it, and Light walked in, collapsing on his bed.

"Light-kun?" L asked tentatively.

"She's going to be okay. She's conscious, and there isn't any internal damage," Light said.

"That's great."

Light nodded, curling up on the sheets. L was struck by how vulnerable he looked.

"Are you all right?" he asked.

"I'm fine. It's just a bit weird seeing her like that," Light replied with a shaky laugh. "And a bit scary knowing that anybody would go to that length..."

"Aizawa told us who he was," L nodded.

"I seem to attract crazy love-struck stalkers," Light groaned.

"Maybe it's some strange kind of magnetism."

"Yeah... hey L? Would you mind if I stayed here tonight?"

L agreed, and Light closed his eyes, not even bothering to get changed. L watched him fall asleep with a frown, and then turnd back to his sweets. Magnetism indeed.


	9. Unmisable

Light woke up mid morning sprawled on L's bed, still in the clothes he'd been wearing the day before. He sighed at the creases of his shirt; he must look a mess. For a few moments, he had no idea why he was there. He hadn't slept in this late for years...

Then he realised that he must have been in the hospital until morning... it had definitely been sunrise when he'd arrived back at the hotel. No wonder he'd overslept... but what about filming? He was supposed to have been at the set hours ago!

He looked around, and spotted L, who was tapping away at a laptop with a Pocky between his teeth. He looked up at Light, struck by how he could still look immaculate after sleeping fitfully in a suit.

"Good morning, Light-kun," he greeted "I've had Watari take care of the details, and Misa-san's attack will not go to press. She is being kept apart from the other patients and visitors in hospital. Mikami has been arrested and charged. He will be imprisoned for a good length of time."

Light nodded, sitting up and straightening his tie. Mikami was in prison... well that was a relief.

"Why aren't we at the set?"

"We've been given the day off. And as much time as you need, Light-kun, although Matt, Mello, Near and I will be returning to filming tomorrow. We have filmed most of the scenes with Misa-san in them, so we will be able to manage for a while without her."

"I'll go back tomorrow. There's not much I can do sitting around the hotel." Light answered.

"Of course." L answered, crunching up the remainder of his Pocky. "Will you be going to the hospital today?"

Light nodded. He wanted to check how Misa was doing. He didn't expect he'd have to visit her everyday though, once she was in the recovery stages.

"It's weird... all this time I thought I hated her..." he mused aloud.

L's heart sank. Was this some kind of proclaimation of love? Had seeing Misa in such a vulnerable state shocked Light into realising his true feelings?

"...but I guess I can't really have done, or I'd have been glad she'd got hurt. And I feel really guilty that she got hurt because of me. So I can't hate her. But a part of me... I know this sounds weird, L... but a part of me..."

He fell silent, looking at the floor. A part of him was relieved that she was out of the way, so that he could be away from her for a while. It'd mean no more pretence, and although Light could act his part perfectly, he didn't like it. This would give him a chance to be himself for once.

He looked up at L, who was frowning, his dark eyes hidden under his hair. The older man was thinking about Light's words, and the absense of Light's words. So... that meant that Light blamed himself. That was a normal response. But what had Light been about to say? A part of him loved Misa? A part of him... what?

L shook his head firmly, trying to banish these thoughts. He couldn't afford to let these jealous little spikes clog up his brain. He should concentrate on helping Light. Yes, that was most important right now. Even if a small portion of L's mind was jumping for joy that Light would be free from Misa for a while. L scowled. That just showed how cruel he could be... no wonder people typecasted him as a serial killer.

"Can we go to the hospital after lunch?" Light asked "I'll just go and get changed."

* * *

He left L's room, going into his own and finding a clean set of clothes. He pulled them on, and splashed his face with water. He looked at his reflection, and was glad to see that he looked the same as ever, if a little tired. He opened his room door to find L waiting for him. They ate in the hotel resteraunt, Light wolfing down a plate of pasta, and L having a slice of watermelon; Light had insisted he ate some fruit instead of cake.

* * *

The hospital was big and clean. The nurses were friendly, leading the two men to Misa's room straight away. Light smiled at Misa, pushing a bouquet of flowers into a vase on her bedside table. Misa beamed at him as he sat down.

"Light-chan! L-kun! Oh... I must look awful, I had all my make-up wiped off..."

L went to get a spare chair. Personally, he thought Misa looked better without all that stuff on her face, but that might be just him. He certainly wasn't a follower of fashion.

* * *

When he got back, Misa was chattering brightly, and Light was smiling and nodding. L settled himself into a comfortable position as he listened to their conversation. Misa was telling Light about a story one of the nurses had told her that morning. Light was pretending to be interested, but he could feel his attention slipping. He looked past Misa's face, meeting L's eyes and giving him a small smile. L smiled back, as Light reverted his eyes to Misa, pasting a fake smile on his face.

"We have to get back now," Light said suddenly, snapping L out of his daydream.

Misa blinked, and then nodded morosely. Of course, Light couldn't stay with her all day...

"Will you visit Misa later?" she asked, making her eyes as big as possible.

"If I have time," Light promised "I'll come tomorrow after filming, definitely."

"Kay..." she pouted "I'll call you."

He nodded, kissing her lightly on the forehead, and turning to go. L said goodbye to Misa, who smiled faintly, her eyes on Light. L wondered if she'd even said more than a word to him since they'd arrived. In fact, you could probably fit all the words she'd ever said to him into one conversation with Light. And maybe vice versa; L wasn't exactly a chatterbox, but he could have an intelligent conversation with Light. That was probably a good part of the reason why L liked the brunette so much; he was almost on L's level, or they might even be intellectually matched.

"I need to use the bathroom," L announced as they passed the toilets.

Light nodded, telling L that he'd meet him in the entrance. He sat down on a plastic chair looking around. He was pretty thirsty. He looked around for a drinks machine, and spotted a coffee vendor. He poured himself a coffee, and got one for L as well. He knew L liked his sugar, so pocketed several packets of sugar, as well as a few creamers. Balancing the cups on top of the machine, he looked at the snack vendor next to it, and decided to buy something from there as well. He bought himself a bag of potato chips, and looked around for something L might like. He settled on a gingerbread man that somebody had gone a little crazy with the sprinkles on.

L came back to see Light taking a potato chip and eating it. The brunette smiled at L, handing him a coffee and the dessert. L's eyes widened.

"Light-kun... that was very thoughtful of you." he said, sitting down and uncapping his coffee, pouring sugar into it.

He tore open the gingerbread man, biting his head off. Light watched him licking the icing off his lips with a small smile. He looked like a little kid. His eyes were literally lit up, and his normally expressionless face was euphoric. L smiled up at Light, pulling a chocolate button off the gingerbread with his teeth.

Light downed his coffee, finishing up his potato chips and crumpling the packet. L licked the crumbs off his fingers, drinking the last of his own coffee and following Light out of the door.

"Thanks for coming with me today," Light said as they got into the limo.

"No problem," L said in surprise.

He hadn't really considered staying at the hotel. Light had asked him to come to the hospital, so he did. He hadn't really seen it as a favour. He would have offered to go anyway.

* * *

When they got back to the hotel, L said goodbye to Light and flopped down on his bed. Light frowned, leaning on L's closed door. He'd quite like to hang out with L, instead of just sitting around watching crap television... maybe he could ask L out for a drink in the bar or something?

No, L had run off into his room pretty quickly, so maybe he had something to do. Or maybe he just didn't want to spend time with Light any more... he had seemed a little spaced out at the hospital. Light supposed that watching Misa's verbal diarrheoa must get pretty monotonous.

Light felt suddenly like a sulky toddler. So what if L had more important things to do than hang out with him? He could find other people to be with. He was freaking popular, damn it! Except most of his friends were at home. Well, he could try Matt and Mello. But they'd probably be too busy playing video games or whatever. So who else...?

He knocked on Aizawa's door, but there was no reply. He supposed he was out doing some work for the movie. Matsuda was probably with him.

* * *

In fact, Aizawa _was_ out with Matsuda; sorting out Aizawa's divorce with his wife. The afro haired man was looking miserably out of the car window as the limo purred along the road. Matsuda looked at him, wondering what on earth he could say to make his friend feel better.

"It was all my fault," Aizawa mumbled, watching the world speed by the window. "I wasn't there. I wasn't there when our kid took her first steps. I wasn't there when she fell and broke her arm. I even missed her birthday, godammit. And I forgot my wedding anniversary..."

He slumped against Matsuda, who put an arm around him.

"It wasn't your fault..." Matsuda insisted, holding him tightly as Aizawa leant his head against his shoulder, trying hard not to start crying.

"She deserves better.. my kids deserve a father who will actually be present for their lives. Not just a guy who comes to see them every so often. We had to cancel our holiday because of my damn job. I'm such a selfish bastard. And now... she's found somebody else. Somebody who can give her what she needs."

Matsuda hugged him tightly.

"You aren't a bastard, Aizawa. You're a wonderful man." he murmured, pressing his lips to the other man's temples as Aizawa broke down into tears.

* * *

Light scowled at his empty room. When Misa was here, he wished for solitude. But now, he wanted somebody to be here. Somebody, he now realised, meant L. L's friendship was so important to him, and he'd figured he really enjoyed the man's company. He made life a lot more interesting.

Light picked himself up, exiting his room and staring at L's closed door. He knocked twice, and L opened it almost instantly, his dark eyes questioning.

"Sorry, the walls were closing in a bit," Light apologised, as L stood back to let him in.

Light sat down on L's bed, smoothing the sheets with his fingers. L was watching him curiously, his legs crossed.

"Do you have a whole wardrobe full of that outfit?" Light asked suddenly.

"No, I've just been wearing this same one for four weeks straight," L teased.

Light laughed, mussing up his hair with one hand and giving L a lazy smile. L leant over, flicking a stray hair off Light's face.

"Thanks," Light said softly, smoothing his hair down.

L grinned, his fingers still hovering by Light's ear. He swallowed, dropping his hand and coughing. Light coughed as well, looking away.

"I need to use the bathroom." Light said, getting up and walking into L's ensuite.

He closed and locked the door, sitting on the side of the bath and dangling his legs against the cold steel taps. What had just happened? L had barely touched him, and it'd been like his whole body had melted. How the hell did that work?

He shook his head firmly, slamming his heels against the hard marble. There was no earthly way that he could possibly be in love. Because love wasn't real. And he certainly wasn't going to delude himself into thinking that he was. Besides, even if he was, which he wasn't, he couldn't act on any feelings he might have, because it would get in his way. He had a career to make. So even if he was.. in... the L-word, then what could he do about it? Nothing. And he wouldn't. He'd just keep the facade up. It was easy enough for him to fake love for Misa. It would be just as easy to fake a purely platonic interest in L.

**Ooh, getting interesting now :D Sorry if I'm not updating as regularly, but exams are starting at my school, so I have to study a lot more. **


	10. Mellodic

L couldn't say whether he was disappointed or relieved when Light moved back into his own hotel room. He missed his company, but he was glad about the lack of distraction. He wouldn't say temptation, since he did not find it hard to hold back his feelings... on the outside at least. On the outside he was cool and collected, or so he hoped.

They had all gone back to filming, Misa excluded of course. She was still hospitalised, and Light visited her 'as often as possible.' Which of course really meant as little as he could afford to visit without attracting suspicion. A few of the others had gone to see her; Matt and Mello managed half an hour before swearing to each other that they'd never go back. L hadn't been back since his first visit with Light, as Light had said that he was fine to go alone now. L didn't mind, it wasn't as though he particularly enjoyed spending time with Misa, but he seemed to be seeing a lot less of Light now that all the fuss had died down. He did want to be friends with the younger man, but Light seemed more distant than usual. He had always seemed a little... closed up, but he had seemed to be growing a lot more friendly towards L. Could it be that Light had deduced L's feelings and was steering clear? No, L was certain that Light would have said something about it to him to make sure...

The two men hadn't been seeing as much of each other on set as they were working on seperate scenes. Light was determined to bury any feelings for L as deep as he could. He spent most of his time alone in his room or out on his own. It worried him that he actually really missed L. Well, maybe if he stayed away, he'd lose these feelings. But he didn't want to push L away, so he accepted any of his invitations to play ping pong or pool. Invitations which were becoming scarcer, now he came to think about it. Had L taken Light's actions as an indication that he no longer wanted to be friends? Light didn't want that; L was first and foremost a good friend and the brunette enjoyed their discussions and talks immensely. As he had thought before, L was the one person who was on Light's intellectual level and they therefore could have intelligent conversations about almost any subject. The idea of having a talk like that with such as Misa was laughable.

Matt and Mello however, were blissfully unaware of the conflict going on inside their co-stars' heads. They were still firmly within their own bubble and barely took notice of anything else around them. At the moment they too were filming seperate scenes, so only saw each other at lunchtime and of course when the work had finished for the day. Nobody else had noticed anything amiss with the couple's behaviour to each other, which had lulled the two men into a false state of security. They were careful of course, but mistakes can occur with the most cautious of minds. These mistakes can lead to problems, particularly when the mistake was to leave the door of a cupboard unlocked.

After lunch one day, Mello had suggested casually to Matt that they take a walk around set. When they were in the corridor away from prying eyes, Matt spotted a handy cleaning cupboard and propelled Mello inside. The blonde chocoholic smirked, closing the door behind them and engulfing them in darkness. Matt pressed Mello against the wall, sliding his hands over the other's body and up his neck to find his face and lips. Mello wrapped his arms around Matt as the redhead kissed him ardently, grinding their hips together roughly. His lover moaned softly, biting down on Matt's lower lip and lifting one leg to curl around around his waist, resting on the belt of his jeans. Matt placed a possessive hand on Mello's leather encased thigh and pressed their bodies as close together as possible as he ran his tongue along Mello's teeth. Mello bit down, making Matt gasp in pain and squeeze Mello's thigh, hard. Mello shifted position, accidentally knocking against something and sending it to the floor with a loud clatter. They both ignored it, and Matt tangled his hands in Mello's blonde hair as he kissed him furiously. Mello kissed him back with equal passion

A sudden flood of light made them pull apart. Somebody had opened the door. They sprang away from each, knocking over mops and brushes in their urgency, and looked towards the doorway to see which cleaner had come to get some floor polish and inadvertently stumbled upon them. But it wasn't a cleaner. It was a teenager with curly pale hair, dressed in a white shirt that looked far too big for him. A brightly coloured plastic space ship was dangling loosely from one of his hands, and his eyes were wide with surprise as he took in the scene before him. A small smile curled his lips slowly.

"Near!" Mello exploded, extricating himself from the fallen cleaning tools and glaring down at the boy "What the hell are you doing?"

Near eyed him blankly, taking a few moments to answer to infuriate Mello further.

"I should be asking you that question," he said finally in a calm voice. "I heard a noise and decided to investigate."

Matt sidled out of the cupboard, wondering whether to say anything.

"We were just looking for some stain remover for Matt's dressing room carpet, not that it's any of your business," Mello snapped, folding his arms and leaning forward in an attempt to intimidate Near. Lesser men would have crumbled under his gaze, but Near stared blankly back.

"In the dark?"

"We couldn't find the light switch."

"I'm not a fool, Mello. For one, you wouldn't have shut the door. Also, I saw you before you saw me."

Mello looked as if he was about to slap the younger boy. There seemed to be more of the whites of his eyes than the ice blue iris, which actually appeared to be darkening as he glared furiously at Near. Near looked back at him with his arms folded.

"Nobody would believe you. Who would take the word of a bratty little kid with another piece of worthless gossip? So what I was snogging my male co-star? Nobody'll pay your story any attention." Mello snarled.

"Oh, I wouldn't go to the press without proof... and proof I have, actually. You see, I've recorded our whole conversation so far, including the part five seconds ago where you confessed to engaging in romantic activites with a male co-star. I'd say that was pretty conclusive." Near replied, holding up his mobile phone.

Matt clenched his fists, looking angrily at Near's smug face. Mello was absolutely incandescent.

"You fucking slimy little fucking twat, Near!"

"Language, Mello."

"Fuck you!"

"What do you want?" Matt demanded "What will you get out of making this public?"

"I haven't said that I will make this public," Near shrugged, looking up at Matt with the hint of a smile.

Mello took a deep breath, trying to calm down before he attacked the infuriating git of a Near. He was having a savage fantasy of pulling off his own rosary and winding it around Near's neck to choke him. He wished he had a gun or something to point at Near's head and get the kid to show some bloody emotion. He knew that slamming his knuckles into Near's face repeatedly would be satisfying in the short term, but he'd probably regret it.

"What... do we have to do... to stop you making it public?" Matt asked slowly.

"We're not making a deal with this little creep!" Mello growled, yanking Matt's arm to pull him back.

"Like it or not, we might have to!" Matt retorted, facing Mello with fierce eyes behind his goggles and his hands on his hips.

Mello was glaring at both of them now with equal venom. He looked to be on the point of combustion, or tears.

"Well you fucking well sort it out, then," he shouted at Matt, storming off in the opposite direction.

Matt stared after him, utterly bewildered. He could understand why Mello was angry; Matt was annoyed as well that their carefully constructed cover had been blown by Near of all people. But they had to sort it out somehow, and running away wasn't going to solve anything.

He stepped forwards to follow Mello and see if he was all right. A tight grip on his wrist stopped him, and he looked down into Near's face.

"Leave him to cool down." the boy advised.

"What do you know about it?" Matt huffed, wrenching his arm free.

Near shrugged, and Matt frowned at him.

"Why did you do that? Do you hate him that much?"

"Hate? This isn't about hate." Near said impassively, twirling a tendril of hair around one finger

"Then what?"

Matt didn't wait for an answer. He shook his head in exasperation, running down the corridor after Mello. He knocked on Mello's dressing room, but there was no answer. He pushed the door open cautiously, peering around for the blonde. The room was empty, and after a quick search of anywhere Mello could have dodged to avoid him, Matt sat down in the corridor outside to think. He racked his brains as to where Mello might have gone. Truth be told, he had no idea where a hurt Mello might hide. Mello had never run away from him before.

His first thought was the cafeteria, or the small snack shop outside the set. Surely Mello would want chocolate when he felt upset or angry. He went to check both, but no Mello. He wasn't altogether surprised; Mello would hate being around people when he was angry. If he had collected some chocolate, he hadn't lingered. But there wasn't many places in the studio to hide. He checked the men's bathroom, but all of the cubicles were empty. He slumped against the tiles, lighting a cigarette. He hadn't a clue where Mello could be.

He took a long drag from his cigarette, trying to think like Mello. If he was Mello, and he was pissed off, where would he go? The answer was astonishingly simple. Where nobody would find him. So where in this building could one be unnoticed and alone to mull over one's anger? Where would nobody expect him to be?

It wasn't hard to break into the office where the keys for the different sets were kept. Matt was pretty good at that kind of thing, and if Mello could do it then so could he. He slipped inside and looked at the spaces where there were missing keys. One set was for the town scene Mello had been working on with Light. Another was L's character's house, so Matt ruled that one out. The third was his own scene. There was only one missing key left, and Matt wondered why he hadn't realised straight away. It was the set that his own death was filmed in; Mello was hiding in Daisuke's small dark bedroom. Perfect place to run.

Sure enough, it was locked when he got there, from the inside. Matt peered through the keyhole, and realised that Mello had left the key in the other side of the door. Luckily, it was the old fashioned type of lock; a proper keyhole. No bolts on the door either. He shook his head, looking around for something he could use. He tore a poster down from the wall, sliding it under the door. Then he hunted around in his pockets. He pulled out a pencil, and a paper clip. He checked where the poster was lined up to the lock on the door, then jabbed the pencil into the keyhole sharply. It was too thick to reach through the keyhole to the key on the other side. Matt nodded with a small frown of concentration, straightening the paper clip into a straight piece of wire.

He inserted this into the lock, wiggling the wire around and hoping it would work. He heard a clatter as the key fell out of the keyhole, and lay down on the ground to peer through the crack underneath the door. Would there be room to pull the key out? He tugged gently at the poster and it slid from under the door... with the key on top of it. Matt grinned, picking it up and unlocking the door. It opened with a satisfying click, and he stepped inside.

He made his way quietly to the bedroom. It looked empty at first glance but then he spotted Mello's silouhette behind the ripped curtain, sitting on the windowsill. Mello was peering at him with narrowed eyes.

"How did you find me?" he demanded as Matt walked towards him.

Matt shrugged, pulling back the curtains to look at him. Mello didn't look as angry as he had before, just a little upset. He shifted his legs so that Matt could sit beside him, looking at him silently.

"Why him? Of all the people who could see us, why Near?" he asked in a small voice after they had sat for a few minutes in the dark. "It could have been L, who wouldn't have bothered, or Light, who we could have dealt with, or one of the random other actors like that Hal or Takada or somebody... why did it have to be Near?"

"I don't know, Mel." Matt sighed softly, looking at what he could see of Mello's face in the dim light.

Mello fell quiet again, twirling his rosary around his fingers.

"Maybe we'll have to deal with what happens if this does go public." Matt suggested slowly.

The blonde shook his head vigorously, putting his head in his hands.

"What are you scared of? The fans?" Matt asked.

"No... I don't know. I think... I don't want Near to tell..." Mello mumbled "I'd rather we did it ourselves than it come out through _him_."

"It was going to happen sooner or later," the redhead said quietly "Won't it be nicer not to have to hide how we feel?"

"But it's none of their damn business! Bloody parasites..."

Matt looked at him thoughtfully. To be honest, he wasn't scared of people finding out. It wouldn't be a massive scandal, surely. But it was really Mello's decision.

"So... what are we going to do?"

"I... need to think."

"Okay. Do you want me to go?"

Mello didn't reply, so Matt jumped down off the windowsill.

"Are you going to give me a hug before I go?"

"No." Mello replied without looking at him.

Matt nodded slowly, with a small sigh. He turned to leave, his hands thrust deep in his pockets.

"Matt...?"

"Yeah?" he asked, turning around.

"I'm not ashamed of you. Don't think that."

"I know." Matt said in surprise, heading towards the door.

The corridor looked garishly bright after the black of the room he had just come from. He leant against the wall, checking his watch. They'd missed so much of the day's filming that there was really no point going back. Matt went outside instead, sitting on a concrete block that was supposed to serve as a bench. He lit a fresh cigarette, tilting his head to feel the sun on his face as he took his first puff. Mello seemed certain that Near would sell his information to the tabloids, and Matt supposed that he would have a better idea. He did know him better than Matt did, after all. So maybe trusting Mello's judgement was the best thing he could do.

**Hey, so sorry for not uploading until now puts on pitiful face I've been banned off the internet at home but I'm going to write up the chapters on my laptop and upload whenever I can get to a friend's house and use their internet looks sneaky**


	11. Delightful

It was next morning, and Matt's 'get-mello-out-of-your-room-before-anybody-jumps-to-crazy-accurate-conclusions-as-to-why-he-would-be-in-your-room-so-early-in-the-day' alarm made him sit up and look around hopefully. Nope, no Mello. Matt's bed felt much too big for him without Mello's warm body pressed against his. He sighed, rolling over and resetting his alarm to a reasonable time.

Light was doing press-ups in his room in just his boxers. It wasn't so much that he was vain... coughcough... more about the mental discipline. It helped him to concentrate and to stay in control. He counted in his head with each sadistic thrust of his hips to the floor. Thirty one, thirty two, thirty three... he wondered if L ever did any kind of exercise? He was painfully thin, but he stuffed himself with nothing but sweets and junk food, so.. NO! Focus! Thirty seven, thirty eight, thirty nine, forty! He was getting pretty tired now, and a thin trickle of sweat was running down his neck and between his shoulder blades. Forty three, forty four... he wondered what L would look like in just his boxers... CRASH! His arms gave way and he hit the floor, cursing himself and that damned man L to all ends of the universe. He sat up, checking the time. It was Saturday, so he was going to the hospital to visit Misa. There was ages until he had to be ready, so he decided to take a nice long shower before setting off. He stepped out of his shorts, turning on the shower and tilting his head so that the cold refreshing water streamed over his warm body.

Mello woke up to the sound of his mobile phone ringing on his bedside table. He groped around for it, wondering who would be calling him. Matt? The caller display showed that it was just his agent. He sighed softly, wondering whether to answer it. He flipped it open, holding it to his ear.

"Hello?" he said, lying down and wedging the phone between his ear and the pillow

"Hey, Mello. You kind of bailed yesterday..."

"I'm aware of that," Mello answered in a clipped tone "I'll be there on Monday. Bye."

He hung up before his agent had time to reply. Then he got out of bed, throwing open the curtains. Yeah, no point lying around feeling sorry for himself. So Near knew their secret. So what? Mello would still beat him in the long run. That was when he saw the blue rectangle lying just inside of his door. _Meet me in the breakfast room. N. _

He got dressed and pushed open the door of his room. He saw a door opening a few doors down and he shrank back automatically, even though he knew that it wasn't Matt's. Light came out of it in yet another preppy costume that admittedly made him look quite good. They exchanged half hearted smiles, and went downstairs. Light didn't bother to catch up with Mello as they walked down, and Mello didn't bother slowing down to wait for Light. They were both too deeply wrapped up in their own problems to care.

Mello found who he was looking for straight away. He marched over to the table where Near was sitting, and grabbed him roughly by the shoulder to get his attention.

"I'm here." he said loudly.

Near followed him out of the breakfast room into the corridor.

"If you aren't careful, Mello, people will begin to think it is we who are in love," he said maddeningly, leaning against the wall.

"Shut up," Mello said, fighting to keep his temper under control.

Near shrugged, looking up at the blonde and twirling his pale hair around his fingers.

"I want you to delete that recording and pretend that you never saw anything." Mello answered in as cordial a tone as he could muster before Near had a chance to speak.

"Why should I do that?" Near asked with a small smile.

"What do you want, then?" Mello said through gritted teeth "Money?"

"No, no. Nothing so trivial. I want Matt."

Mello stared at him.

"You... what?!"

"Not to keep. To borrow." Near added, as though he was asking for the loan of a book or a CD.

"No. Something else." Mello answered, clenching his fists. "This isn't a game, Near. Matt isn't a prize."

But he knew that to Near, this was a game. Near wanted to take one the two things that mattered most to Mello; Matt and... Matt. He knew that whichever option he chose, their relationship would be in jeopardy. Mello knew that Near only looked like a kid to most of the others, but he was nearly as old as Mello and it seemed at moments like this that he was much cleverer.

"You'll get him back again. I'm only asking for one night."

"No! You can't have him!"

"Oh, well then." Near shrugged, pulling out a square package with the address for Sakura TV on the front "The whole of Japan will know your secret, then."

Sakura TV... of all of the stations that Near could have chosen, it had to be Sakura TV. Mello watched desperately as Near tucked the envelope back inside his shirt, and knew that even if he could get hold of that one package, Near was bound to have made copies.

"Am I allowed to ask Matt about this?" he asked.

"I'd rather I had your answer now." Near replied pleasantly.

Mello frowned. If that envelope was broadcast, there would be press storming around and gossip and pictures of them plastered all over the magazines. He had been hounded by the press before, and he didn't want it to happen to either him or Matt. But the other option... he couldn't let Near take Matt away. The idea of that creep kissing _his _Matt, holding him, touching him... it was unbearable.

"Send the goddam fucking recording then, you little shit." he snarled, shoving Near into the wall.

Near grinned impishly, taking out his mobile phone. He switched it onto speaker phone, so that Mello could hear.

"Yes, Gevanni, send the recording now." he said in the mouthpiece.

Mello heard as a voice replied

"Yes, Near. Can I send this to Sakura TV's main studio by courier?"

Mello gaped at him. The little toad had got his agent to send a copy! It'd be sent straight over, with no waiting for the post. There was no way he could get to stop it in that time. No doubt Near had done that to make sure that the recording would definitely be sent. There was nothing Mello could do.

Even now he wondered if he'd made the right choice. Would Matt agree with him? He had to find him. Was he eating breakfast? Mello hurried back into the room, glancing around at the tables. No, he wasn't. Mello hoped he was still in his room. He dashed up the stairs, skidding to a halt in front of Matt's door and pounding on the wood with his fist. He waited, his heart thumping from the run up here and from worry about what Matt would say. The door opened, and Matt's surprised face looked out. He stood back silently to let Mello in.

"Are you all right?" he asked in concern.

Mello shook his head, throwing himself down on Matt's bed. Matt sat down beside him, scooping him up and hauling him onto his knee. Mello looked up at him, and then he began to tell him what had happened. Matt's face darkened as Mello told him everything. Mello slammed his fist angrily into the palm of the other hand as he finished.

"God Matt, I wanted to kill him. He's won, and he knows it. Either way he would have won."

Matt nodded soberly, holding Mello close as he ranted about Near. Yes, it did seem as though Near had won. That envelope would be speeding towards Sakura TV as they spoke. The nearest station for Sakura TV was hundreds of miles away, they could hardly drive or take the train. In fact, nothing short of a jet would be able to get there in time to stop it. And who had a jet handy? Only really rich idols and movie stars could have access to a...

"Mello!" Matt asked, looking at him with wide eyes behind his goggles "Do you have a jet?"

"A... jet?" Mello asked non-plussed "No. But.. I know somebody who does."

So that was how Matt and Mello came to be sitting in L's private jet, set to arrive at the nearest airport to Sakura TV in a short space. L had agreed to let them use his jet without question, and Mello estimated that they would get to the TV station with plenty of time to spare.

"But... won't Near resend the recording if nothing is reported about it?" Matt asked as they sat back in their padded seats and watched the ground falling away beneath them.

"Yeah, he probably will..." Mello realised

He looked at Matt with a small frown. They both thought quietly for a moment.

"We could do it ourselves. Tell Sakura TV about us. It wouldn't be so much of a scandal if we did it that way. And Near would see any papers that reported it and think it was because of him." Matt said slowly.

"Yes. Then even if Near does realise and resend his poxy package, nobody will care. It'll be old news." Mello agreed "I don't like it, I really don't like it, but I think that it's the best choice."

"It'll definitely work," Matt reassured his lover, putting his arm around him and hugging him tightly.

Mello wriggled out of Matt's embrace, pulling out his mobile. He dialled up his agent, an idea having struck him. Matt wasn't sure you were actually allowed to use mobiles on planes, but he didn't say anything.

"Hey, yeah, can you tell Sakura TV that I've changed my mind about that interview? Tell them I'm on my way there and I should be able to make an evening slot." Mello said.

His agent agreed to organise it, and Mello hung up and turned to Matt.

"See, they want to interview me about the film. They're sure to ask something about my love life, so I just tell them like that. That way, we're not making a big deal about it, even though they'll most definitely make a big deal of it themselves."

Matt nodded. He understood what Mello meant. It would seem a bit weird to just waltz into the place and announce it. Mello's phone buzzed, and he answered the call.

"We're on for seven o'clock," he reported, shoving the phone back into the pocket of his leather jacket.

"Okay."

It suddenly struck Matt how weird this was; chasing an envelope across the country in a private jet. It was like something out of an action film. Mello even looked the part with his sun glasses and black leather garb. Although he didn't exactly have anywhere to hide a gun, unless he shoved it down the front of his trousers. The redhead snickered a little at that idea, pulling out his Nintendo DS to while away the time they had left. Mello rolled his eyes, biting into his bar of chocolate.

When the voice boomed over the intercom to tell them that they had arrived, both Matt and Mello were almost asleep. Matt still had his DS in one hand, and the other was draped over Mello's neck. Mello's head was resting against Matt's shoulder, and anybody who had seen them would have thought it the most adorable sight ever. They sat up sleepily, stretching and peering out of the window. Mello checked the time, and although he wasn't sure how long it would take to courier a package over this distance, he was sure that their speedy little jet had beaten it. But still, there was no sense in wasting time.

They piled into the waiting taxi, and they were soon on their way to Sakura TV. The driver dropped them off by the front of the building, and Mello shoved a handful of notes into his hand distractedly, shutting the door. The driver's face lit up when he saw how much he'd been paid, and he sped off before Mello could change his mind. Mello looked through the glass windows in the front of the building.

"Right, I'll ask the receptionist if the package has arrived yet." he said to Matt, who nodded and sat down outside.

He watched Mello walk over to the front desk. The bored looking girl sitting there nearly knocked over her cup of coffee as she realised who he was. He asked her whether a parcel had arrived, but she insisted none had. He came back outside to Matt, smiling broadly.

"Not here yet. So, we wait."

They sat down hidden from view, staring avidly at the path which the courier would take to bring the parcel up to the studio. After half an hour of waiting, they were starting to get hungry. Mello sent Matt off to buy sandwiches at the corner shop, and they ate them still hiding in the shrubbery outside Sakura TV. Eventually, they saw what they'd been waiting for. Mello ran down the path to meet the courier, taking off his sunglasses in order for the man to recognise him.

"You have a parcel for me?"

"S..sorry Mr Mello sir, but it's addressed to Director Demegawa."

"Yes, yes, he was supposed to hold it for me until I arrived tomorrow, but I got here a day early. Could I have it, please? It's really important."

Matt grinned through the leaves of the bush he was hiding behind. Mello's acting skills were flawless.

"Well..." the man said, still hesitating "I'm afraid I'll need proof that this parcel can be given to you. Do you know the name of the sender?"

Mello smiled.

"Yes, of course. Well, depending on who he got to send it, it'll either be under the last name of Gevanni or River."

The courier fumbled for his form, and then nodded.

"Sorry, but I had to check."

"It's quite all right," Mello said graciously, accepting the parcel.

He danced back to Matt with a wide smirk on his face.

"We win, Matt! We win!"

He tipped the disk out of the package, and stamped down on it until it shattered into pieces.

"Take that, Near," he said savagely.

**Wow, Near really is evil! Sorry Near fans, I do love him really! Sorry also for the lack of Light and L; I just didn't really have a chance to get them into this chapter. They'll be in the next one, I promise! bows**


	12. So Near Yet So Far

"...and now, one of the stars of the new movie Kira-Kira... it's Mello!"

Matt smiled as the audience clapped and cheered wildly. Mello walked out onto the raised platform to face the presenter; Director Demegawa himself. He was one of the greediest and slimiest men you could meet, and Mello absolutely hated him. But he flashed Demegawa a smile, letting his shake his hand and sitting down in the chair opposite him. He spotted Matt in the front row of the audience, giving him a reassuring smile.

"So, Mello. I hear you've been working with upcoming idol Misa-Misa, has that been interesting for you?"

Mello answered using his usual interview techniques; talk a lot but say nothing that can be used against you. He'd perfected the technique after years of talking to parasitic members of the press. Demegawa droned on about the actors, then the plot of the movie and then started on Misa and Light's relationship. Mello told the public what they wanted to hear; all the actors were wonderful, this was the best movie he'd ever worked on, and Light and Misa seemed to be getting along fine although there may be problems up ahead. Did he see the relationship working? He wasn't sure. Maybe not as a long-term thing. He was beginning to think that Demegawa was never going to ask the crucial question, but then it came as he'd known it would.

"Well, the last time we talked to you, you were single and planning to be for sometime. Is that still the case?" Demegawa asked with a corny wink.

"Actually, I am in a relationship right now," he answered as calmly as he could, his hands clasped tightly in his lap.

Matt held his breath, as all the audience stared at Mello. Mello looked completely at ease, but Matt wasn't fooled. Demegawa looked as though Christmas had come early.

"Is this a serious relationship then, Mello?" he asked, his fat face lighting up with excitement.

"Yes definitely. I hope _he_ and I will be together for a very long time," Mello said slowly and deliberately.

Demegawa breathed in sharply. Mello could almost see the yen signs flickering in his eyes. He looked around at the audience, most of whom looked delighted. There were quite a few girls who looked distraught at this bombshell.

"So is he in the audience then?" Demegawa asked eagerly, spit flying from his mouth.

Mello managed not to flinch in disgust. He smiled, pointing over at Matt. Before the interview, he had been having serious doubts about doing this. But apart from the repulsive Demegawa, he supposed it was going well. He still absolutely hated this; it wasn't these people's business what he did, and he hated the fact that Demegawa would make money from it. But it could be worse, a lot worse. Matt was now smiling as well, looking slightly embarrassed as a spotlight found him and the entire studio stared at him. Demegawa beckoned furiously, shouting for somebody to bring up another chair. Matt sat down next to Mello, and Demegawa beamed at them as though they were little fish and he was a hungry shark about to gobble them up.

"What's your name then?" Demegawa asked, addressing Matt.

Matt told him, flashing a fake smile around at the audience.

"And you're an actor on the film with Mello?"

"Yes, I play the brother of the main character."

Demegawa grinned wildly.

"Love at first sight, then?"

"Not exactly, but we were certainly friends straight away, and that kind of progressed into something more."

They answered all of Demegawa's stupid questions with huge fixed smiles, ignoring the coos and wolf-whistles from the audience. Demegawa seemed to have abandoned the official interview, and was shamelessly grilling both of them on their relationship. They bluffed their way through most of the questions with vague answers and jokes, while Demegawa attempted to dig up some further gossip. He reluctantly let them go when they had over-run by five minutes and his staff team were frantically gesturing that it was time to interview the next guest. They were allowed to stay on to watch the rest of the show, but both of them declined immediately.

"That was fun," Matt muttered sarcastically as they made a beeline for the door.

"I hate fucking Demegawa," Mello moaned, following him as quickly as he could.

They collapsed onto a wall outside, revelling in the crisp night air after the glare of the studio lights. Matt put a hand to his throbbing head, and Mello gestured wordlessly towards a store across the street. Matt bought headache pills, cigarettes and chocolate, while Mello phoned for a taxi.

Two taxi rides and one plane flight later, they were back at the hotel. They had turned down the offer of a hotel near Sakura, insisting they'd rather get back. Both men could hardly wait until they could curl up and get some rest.

"Oh great..." Mello muttered when they walked through the front door.

"Mello! Matt! We saw the interview on Sakura TV!"

The first one to reach them was Misa's manager, Matsuda. He beamed at them both, pulling them forwards into the hotel.

"That was so romantic!" he gushed, before he was elbowed aside by a group of giggling extras brandishing mobile phone cameras and attempting to take pictures of them together.

Matt seized Mello's hand, and they barged through them. They couldn't see Near around, but he had almost certainly seen the interview. Well, it didn't matter about him anymore. They were too tired to think about anything. They got to Matt's room, and kicked their shoes off by the door. They managed to get undressed and crawl under the covers before falling fast asleep.

Light sighed, sitting on his bed and staring moodily at the blank television screen. He'd been flicking through the channels when he'd spotted a familiar face on Sakura TV. He'd stopped on that channel, confused as to how Mello had got there when he'd seen him in the hotel just that morning. He watched a little of it out of curiosity, and was about to see if a quiz show was on the other channel when Mello said something that made him pay attention. Something about a relationship. Yes, he'd definitely said _he_. Now Matt was getting up on stage. Light gaped at them both, wondering what the hell was going on. They'd... just outed themselves on live television.

When he thought about it, Matt and Mello being together made a lot of sense. They were always together, and if he'd paid more attention to them, he might have actually noticed that there was something between them. Well, good for them. He just couldn't help feeling jealous. Not that he'd go and announce it on Sakura TV; that sounded like Misa's kind of thing. But they could be together with no problems, and they could be happy together. The more he thought about it, the more that he hated Misa for stopping him from having something like that. Obviously it wasn't love, as love did not exist. But Matt and Mello got on, and could understand each other, and were clearly physically attracted to each other. In Light's opinion, that was what the concept of love was. Having things in common made you a friend, physical attraction was a crush, and having both made what people called love. Simple.

He ground his teeth, lying back on his bed. Yeah he felt like that about L... it didn't have to be a problem. It was just another thing to deal with. After filming was over, he might never see Misa or L ever again, and it would all be okay. There was no reason for him to hide and stop having a good time in the months he had left. In fact...

Light sat up straight, a thought having occurred to him. Maybe he could be with L, after all. Well, Misa was in hospital and she wasn't going to find out. If he'd willingly got into a relationship with her, things would be different. But he felt no remorse whatsoever in cheating on a girl who had basically blackmailed him into dating her. It could hardly even be classed as cheating. Since L knew the consequences if they were caught, he was sure that they could pull it off. It all depended on the risks involved... did he really want to take that chance?

The more that he thought about it, the more he wanted to go ahead with this. It wasn't even just about him and L; it was about freedom. He wanted this, so why the hell couldn't he have it? All his life he'd been able to have what he wanted. His parents weren't exactly hard on money, and his charm and intelligence came easily. He was the kid who had everything, and not being able to have L stung. He would not be done over by a _girl_, especially not a vacuous bimbo like Misa. Well then, he'd do it. He could always ditch L when Misa got back from hospital, and that might not be for months...

Light's frown slid into a small smile, and he chuckled under his breath. He might be able to turn this whole situation into something good after all. There was just one small problem... getting L to feel the same way. Light was an expert at charming every girl he met, but would he be able to do the same with a guy?? He got undressed, thinking about it. He had a nasty feeling that it would be a whole lot harder, and L was probably straight anyway. That made it harder still. But he could do it, right? He was going to try.


	13. Mattador

L had a fantastic new cake. His agent Watari had ordered it for him, and it really looked delicious. Swirls of icing with strawberries all over it... he hurried for a knife to cut a big slice for himself. He expertly pushed the knife through the top of the cake, levering his piece onto a plate. Then he grabbed a fork and sat down on his bed to eat it. Somebody had told him that once eating cake early in the day wasn't very good for you, but he wasn't really bothered about that. Cake for breakfast sounded great to him!

Somebody was knocking at his door. He frowned, walking over and opening it. It was Light. The brunette looked down at the slice of cake in L's hands, and laughed softly.

"Can I come in?"

"Yes, of course."

L sat down on his bed, tucking into his cake. Light followed, watching L demolishing his 'breakfast.'

"Sorry I've not been around much," Light said.

L looked up, his fork between his teeth. He removed it and set it back down on the plate.

"It's all right. You don't need to feel obligated to spend time with me."

"No! It's not that. I've just been thinking a lot about things."

The raven haired man nodded slowly. Maybe that was true. Light didn't seem the type to be a person's friend out of pity, and they had seemed to have a real connection. Although obviously not in the way L wanted.

"Actually, I want to ask your advice about something." Light added when L had scooped up the last of his cake.

"Hmmm? Do you want any cake, by the way?"

Light shook his head, and L shrugged and went to get himself some more.

"Yeah, you've been a good friend to me and I thought you might be able to help me out." Light said, waiting for L to sit down before continuing. "See, there's somebody I like, but I'm supposed to be in a relationship with Misa."

"Well, Light-kun," L replied, staring moodily at his cake "Under the circumstances, I wouldn't really consider what you have with Misa-san a relationship. However, if you do enter into another relationship without Misa-san knowing, I advise you to be very careful. And I would make sure to tell your new lover about Misa as well. It all depends on whether you think this person is worth the risk."

"I think they are." Light nodded, meeting L's eyes "I've considered all the risks and consequences... I think I'm going to do it."

"Well... maybe after filming, Misa-san will give up on the idea of a relationship? She can't exactly get you fired from the film when you've done all your scenes, anyway."

"Yes, that's true. But this person... I might not see them again after filming otherwise. See, they're working on the film with me as well."

That got L's mind working. On the film as well? He had noticed that Light had specified a gender, so L supposed he should look into both. It was unlikely to be Mello or Matt, as they were dating each other. Light would have mentioned that when telling L of his problem, surely. It probably wasn't Near; Light had never really spent any time with him, and Near kept to himself most of the time. So who else could it be? Takada? Hal? Raye? Naomi? Couldn't be his agent; he'd see him again after the film was done. So...

"If you want to know who it is, you just had to ask." Light said with a crooked smile, guessing what was going through L's mind.

"Oh... sorry..." L replied. "You can tell me if you like..."

Light opened his mouth to speak, when his mobile phone began to ring. He frowned, opening it up.

"Aizawa?"

"Light... I've sorted your appointment for you..."

"Thanks." he answered, hanging up. "Sorry about that, L."

L shrugged. He didn't think it was wise to bring up the topic of Light's love right now; Light was very sharp and would probably guess why he wanted to talk about it. L continued to go through names in his head of actors and people they'd met on set who Light could possibly be interested in. Light watched him with a small frown.

"Well, thanks for the advice. I have a hairdressers appointment, so..."

"No problem. I'll see you later."

Light left, and L looked down at his plate, spearing a strawberry and biting into it. Well that was a spanner in the works. But maybe... just maybe... what if the person he had spoken of was L himself? L didn't want to get his hopes up, but he had to think about it. That could have been why he was so vague about whether his love was male or female. He was the one that Light spent most time with, after all. It did make sense. In fact, there was probably the biggest probability that it was L. But Light had never displayed anything towards him that could be seen as romantic...

L had to admit it, he needed help. He had no idea about love. Because... he'd never been in love before. He'd never even been in a properly functional relationship. But who did he know well enough to ask for help, and who would know all about love? Well, luckily there were two people just like that who were just down the hallway...

Mello had to admit it, it was a lot nicer to wake up at a reasonable time with Matt holding him protectively in his arms than to have to scramble back to his room to ward away rumours. He cuddled closer to Matt under the covers, resting his cheek against the sleeping redhead's shoulder. Matt yawned, opening his eyes.

"Morning, Matt." Mello greeted sleepily.

"Morning, Mrs Matt," Matt returned, then winced as Mello hit him over the head.

"What time is it?" Mello asked, peering around for a clock.

"Eleven." Matt answered "We've had a bit of a lie-in."

Mello nodded, snuggling back down into Matt's warm arms. He pressed every inch of his skin against Matt's, entwining their legs and wrapping his arms tightly around him. Matt kissed the top of his head lightly, then frowned.

"Is that the door...?"

Yes, somebody was definitely knocking at the door. Matt yelled that they'd just be a minute, and then they hurriedly set about finding their clothes. Matt pulled out some new clothes from his wardrobe and dressed quickly. Mello meanwhile borrowed a pair of Matt's boxers, and pulled on the clothes he'd worn the day before. He found his rosary draped over Matt's goggles on the bedside table. Then they went to open the door.

"L!" Mello said in surprise.

The dark haired actor was standing awkwardly outside, a stick of candy in his mouth.

"Come in," Matt invited, gesturing inside.

L entered the room, sitting on the couch and pulling out a bag of sherbet. He stuck the candy stick inside, stirring the sherbet and then sucking it off. Now he was here, he had almost forgotten exactly what he wanted to say.

"You two are together."

It was a statement, not a question. Matt nodded, sitting down on the bed and facing L.

"How did you know how you felt?" L pressed, looking from one to the other.

"Uh..." Mello said, looking surprised at the question "I'm not sure. We were friends, and suddenly I thought of how I'd like us to be more than friends."

Matt nodded in agreement.

"How did you know you wanted to be more than friends?"

"Er... I wanted to be closer to him in a more physical way?" Matt said delicately.

"How did you realise that you both felt the same way?" was L's next question.

"You mean, how did we get together? ... Matt snogged me accidentally and I snogged him back," Mello said with a perplexed frown.

"Accidentally? Hmm... doesn't sound altogether promising," L said, half to himself.

"Well I wouldn't advise it..." Matt said with a small smile "Make sure they like you back before making a move."

"Have you just come to us for relationship advice?" Mello asked.

"Well, yes," L admitted "I'm not really an expert on how these things are supposed to work."

"Hmmm," Matt said thoughtfully "So do you actually know that they like you back?"

"I'm not sure. How do I know?"

Matt and Mello exchanged helpless glances.

"Uh... I guess you can't really know unless they tell you... you just have to guess." Mello suggested with a small shrug.

"Okay. So... after Matt kissed you and you kissed him back... then what?"

"Um... we uh... had sex?" Matt said

L blinked rapidly, but did not appear embarrassed. Mello punched Matt in the arm, his eyes narrowed threateningly.

"Yes, but did you consider yourself in a relationship at that point?" the older man asked them, swirling his candy stick around the sherbet.

"Well, yeah I guess so."

"Okay." L mused.

He left, mulling over what they'd said. He didn't feel like he actually knew that much more about what he should do. It sounded like Matt and Mello's relationship came together by chance, not careful planning. L didn't like the idea of diving into something headlong with no thought of the consequences, especially something important. He knew how frivolous love seemed to be these days, but it was very important to him. He was not going to make a rash decision on it.

Meanwhile, Matt and Mello were exchanging looks of disbelief.

"L... in love?? That's something I never would have imagined." Mello said, leaning his head in Matt's lap and looking up at him.

"Who do you reckon it could be?" Matt asked, playing with Mello's hair absent-mindedly.

"Well, if he wasn't with Misa then I'd say Light."

"Light?? What, L's gay?"

"I don't know, but it makes sense. Who else would it be?"

Matt fell silent. Come to think of it, Mello did have a good point.

"Yeah, maybe it is Light. But wouldn't L have mentioned that when he was asking us questions?"

"Not if he thought that we'd guess it was Light. I mean, who else around here is in a relationship that he could possibly like? Obviously not Misa; you've seen the contempt he holds for her."

"She is pretty cute, though," Matt argued, earning him a scathing look from Mello.

"Do you really think L would fall for the Lolita style charm coupled with an empty skull? Not likely."

"Yeah, but then again I wouldn't think Light would do either," Matt pointed out.

"That's true, actually. You wouldn't really think he'd go for her. It isn't her fame either; you saw how he reacted when she blabbed their relationship to the press."

"He's never seemed too struck on her, has he? It's always been her chasing after him."

"But if he doesn't love her, then why is he going along with it?"

They both looked thoughtful. It did seem a bit fishy when they looked back on the times they'd seen Misa and Light together. Maybe it was just a one-sided thing.

"So saying that he isn't in love with her... he doesn't seem the type to date girls out of pity, does he?" Matt asked, stroking Mello's hair.

"No, I'd say there must be an ulterior motive. We've ruled out fame and his image, so maybe it's to do with his career? Although, you'd think that he'd want the public to know in that case."

"Yeah... the more I think about it though, the more he's seemed like he's just acting the part of her boyfriend. I think we're on to something here."

"Well... I'm pretty sure that she is genuinely in love with him. So either he chose her because he knew how she felt, or..."

Mello suddenly sat up, looking at Matt in delight

"What if she forced him into it?"

"What?!"

"Think about it. She loves him, and she's a hell of a lot more powerful. So she could say that she'll... I don't know, spread rumours about him or something, unless he got into a relationship with her!"

"A bit far-fetched, isn't it?" Matt asked bemusedly.

"Is it really that unlikely? She is the type you can imagine doing something like that."

"Yeah, I guess so. Well, we can always find out, can't we?"

"How?"

"Ask Light. Not in an obvious way, hint that we know, and he might give it away."

"That's the kind of plan that people always think will work and it never does," Mello frowned, producing a bar of chocolate and ripping off a strip of foil "And get your hand off my thigh, I'm trying to think."

Matt pulled his hand away with a small laugh as Mello bit into the chocolate.

"Well, if L really is going after Light, then we'll know." the redhead shrugged "We've been there ourselves, haven't we? Just lurk outside their door at three in the morning and put wire taps in all of the cleaning cupboards."

Mello laughed. Matt did have a point, although obviously not about the wire taps. Now they had their suspicions, they could observe what was going on, and see if they picked up anything. That was of course if Light and L were prepared to risk tip-toeing around behind Misa's back. Only time would tell.


	14. L ectric

Aizawa tapped his feet on the marble floor. They'd been in there for what seemed like half of his life, and Light's hair looked exactly the same. The hairdresser had washed it, dryed it, sprayed it, danced around it and snipped it and Aizawa had flipped through every single crappy beauty magazine in the waiting room. Surely Light's hair was finished now? No, it was having some kind of conditioner massaged into it. Light's agent sighed, leaning back in his admittedly comfortable chair. His mind drifted far away from this pretentious salon with its stuck up staff. He could be spending this time doing something worthwhile, like picking up his CDs from his house... no, _her _house. He didn't live there any more, after all.

This unwelcome jog of his memory made the afro-haired man even more moody. He reverted to a technique he'd read in a magazine about splitting up with your partner; just don't think about it, and eventually you'll try to think about it and realise that it doesn't matter. He wasn't sure that this would actually work, particularly since the piece in question had been written for adolescent girls dealing with boyfriends. Matsuda had eagerly pointed it out, insisting that it would work.

"Just think about anything; music, films, dinner, or something funny like me falling off a building!"

Aizawa had laughed at that, and pocketed the article. He hadn't looked at it since, but Matsuda had meant well. He always meant well, even if he inadvertently caused more problems than he solved. In fact, Matsuda was probably the one who had got him through the divorce process without completely falling apart. His friend had been the one who had made sure he was all right, and tried to make him smile when he felt like crying. Although Aizawa sometimes got annoyed with him, Matsuda was actually helping him a hell of a lot.

Light was getting up from his seat, and Aizawa got up as well before Light could change his mind and ask that the hairdresser redo the whole procedure. Why did Aizawa have to take him to get his hair done anyway? He was his agent, not his babysitter. He grinned at Light, still feeling distinctly pissed off. However, maybe that article had a small amount of sense in it. He'd been thinking about the divorce, yet not thinking about it at all. He'd been thinking of overcoming it, and of the best friend he had being by his side every step of the way.

Light checked out his hair in a mirror as they went out, giving himself a sideways smile. Yeah, he liked what Christophé had done with it. He had to hand it to his hairdresser; he made the most of what Light had- which was a fair bit- and enhanced it in just the right ways. It looked good, but not noticeably as he would obviously need it to be the same for filming the next day. He doubted his hair would make L fall at his feet; his eccentric co-star certainly didn't seem to care about his own tangled mop or indeed his appearance in general. Light wondered what he would have said before meeting him, if he had passed L in the street. Probably assume he was a homeless person. He wondered what L would have thought of him. Maybe he'd have jumped to conclusions too.

When they got back to the hotel, Matsuda was hovering near the reception desk. He waved energetically at Aizawa, proclaiming that he was going to take him bowling. Aizawa let Matsuda drag him off, smiling slightly at his friend's obvious attempts to keep him occupied. Quite sweet really. Meanwhile, Light was wondering whether or not to go to L's room. They were friends after all, it wouldn't seem that strange... although he hadn't been paying him much attention a few days ago, so maybe it would seem a bit strange? He was relieved from making a decision when L trotted down the stairs and headed for the hotel resteraunt. Light cleared his throat to attract his attention, and L gave him a small smile.

"I was just going to try out the Dessert of the Day."

He pointed at a blackboard on the counter proclaiming that a cherry pie was available today. Light nodded; he was beginning to get used to the sugar obsessed insomniac's whims.

"Want some company? I fancy a cup of tea."

L agreed, and they sat down together. L ordered a coffee with his pie, and tipped at least four sachets of sugar into it when it came, as well as milk. Light grinned, sipping his tea genteely with one leg crossed over the other. L was crouched in his chair with his bare feet curled over the edge like the claws of a perching bird. His eyes were wide and he was scanning Light carefully, trying to work out what his intentions were. Could it really be L who he loved? Well, maybe L could find out. He was no expert on this thing, but he'd been reading many useful magazines.

Carefully and deliberately, he ran his finger around the edge of the cherry filling that had spilled out of his pie. He licked it off his finger, watching Light out of the corner of his eye. It was a crude technique admittedly, but it just might work. Light didn't seem to be reacting, so he did it again, his time sucking his finger and licking his lips slowly. Light was certainly looking a little uncomfortable, and was stirring his tea determinedly. L picked up his fork, eating a proper mouthful of pie. He offered the plate to Light, who shook his head. L shrugged, plucking the single glasé cherry from the top of the pie with his fingers and licking off the sticky coating before popping it into his mouth. Light was definitely avoiding his eyes now, but was it for _that_ reason or was he just being polite while L played with his food? L frowned thoughtfully, smearing filling across his lips and licking it off as he loaded his fork with another bite of pie.

Light hummed under his breath, pretending to be examining his hair in the back of his teaspoon. It was better than looking at L, who was eating his pie in such a sexual way that Light was almost jealous of the sickly sweet pastry. But... wait... could L possibly be flirting with him? He looked up at the older man, who sucked each of his fingers clean from cherry. Light met his eyes, and licked his lips. L tilted his head, his dark eyes unusually bright. He scooped up some more pie, offering the forkful to Light with a seemingly innocent smile. Light leant forwards, taking the morsel delicately with his teeth and darting out his tongue to lick the residue from the fork. He kept eye contact with L as he did so, his expression unreadable. L took the fork back, taking some pie for himself before offering Light some more. This time Light shook his head, waiting for L to finish the dessert. There was only a few mouthfuls left. L took his time finishing it, running his finger around the plate to get the last of the filling. He got to his feet, and so did Light.

"Mind if I come back to your room?" Light asked casually

"Not at all." L replied cordially.

This was it, Light decided as he sat on L's couch and watched him staring at the ceiling. He was going to tell him.

"L?"

"Yes, Light?"

Oh shit. What did he usually say? It was so different when they didn't have a high voice and eyes he could read easily. Plus there was the fact that he actually felt something for L.

"Do you always eat pie like that?"

L gave him a look which was half amusement and half something else.

"I like pie, Light-kun. It was very good pie."

"It wasn't bad. I don't really like desserts."

"That is a pity. I have plenty of desserts I could share with you."

"Yes, you seem to eat nothing but desserts."

"I enjoy desserts, Light-kun. We should all do what we enjoy, should we not?"

"In some circumstances, although the most enjoyable path may not necessarily be the best."

"Yes, we must always consider the consequences." L agreed seriously.

Light frowned, looking back at him. L tilted his head calmly to return his gaze. What was L trying to say? That he was interested if Light was? He had a feeling that L was waiting for him to make a move. He was crouched down and surveying Light with a 'your turn' look on his face. Light nodded inwardly, sitting close to L and looking in the opposite direction. L's move.

L responded by laughing quietly and getting to his feet. He looked at Light in the mirror, studying his reaction carefully. The younger man looked confused and a little annoyed. L knew he was right, but he should probably wait to see what Light said next.

He opened a box of muffins, choosing a blueberry one.

"Want one?"

Light shook his head, and L started to eat his on his feet instead of going back to sit with Light. Light frowned, trying not to get annoyed. It felt like L was playing with him, and he didn't like it. He got to his feet, walking swiftly up to the other man and staring at him.

"I think in some cases, the most enjoyable path will overweigh the most sensible," he said stiffly, as L finished up the muffin.

L looked up at him, and then took a step forward so that they were almost nose to nose.

"So what about this case, Light-kun? Which path is best?"

Light shrugged indifferently. L was actually very close. He smelt sweet and musky and his eyes were wide. His eyes didn't look as dark around the edges at this distance.

"You have to choose a path, Light-kun, or you will get nowhere in life."

"I've chosen, then," Light said huskily, his lips mere centimetres from L's.

"What is your decision?" L asked, winding his arms around Light's neck and staring up at him.

"I think you already know that," Light replied coolly

"Reconfirm it for me."

Light smiled, closing the gap between their lips. L pressed against him, and Light marveled at how strong and solid he actually was under those baggy clothes. They kissed slowly at first, getting to grips with each other before opening their mouths and starting to use their tongues. Light pulled away, his eyes smoky with lust.

"Can I stay here tonight, then?"

"Please do."


	15. Misa, Yousa

They must have been locked at the lips for at least twenty minutes before Light broke the kiss, his mouth still tingling from the older man's tongue. He hadn't imagined that kissing L would feel that good.

"We're going to have to be careful," he said slowly.

"I know that, Light-kun," L replied, almost rolling his eyes "I am not exactly going to handcuff myself to you. I have thought about this very carefully indeed. Should we go and mix with the others then, so as not to look suspicious?"

"To be honest, I don't think they'll notice anyway. We shouldn't take chances, but it doesn't seem out of the ordinary for two friends to want to say... watch a movie instead of spending their afternoons alone. In fact, it would seem more conspicuous if we drew attention to the fact that we weren't together, if you see what I mean."

"Yes, I do. Shall we rent a movie from room service to watch as friends, then?"

"Okay," Light agreed.

Mello rolled his eyes as Matt tiptoed up to L's room door, pressing his ear flat against the wood.

"Hear anything?" the blonde asked.

"No... yes... maybe..." Matt frowned, straining to hear.

Mello sighed, walking forwards and joining Matt at the door. Both of them listened intently. It sounded as if a whole group of people were talking in there, but Mello and Matt couldn't work out what they were saying. A loud noise like gunshot made them both draw back from the door in alarm, and then Mello sighed in understanding.

"They're just watching a movie, aren't they?"

"Maybe we were wrong about L being in love with Light?" Matt suggested

"No, we were definitely right," Mello said stubbornly "But either L hasn't told Light yet, or they just aren't going to do anything in the daytime."

"In which case, we should wait to see if Light goes back to his own room at night!" Matt realised.

"Precisely."

They slunk back to their own room, and Matt sat down on the bed with his Nintendo DS. Mello lay down with his head in Matt's lap, giving his crotch a light nuzzle with his nose. Matt stared fixedly at the DS screen for a moment, but gave it up when Mello began undoing his zipper with his teeth. He threw the DS aside, and forced Mello's head up so he could kiss him. Mello swirled his tongue around Matt's mouth almost leisurely whilst slipping his hand down the front of Matt's jeans. Matt's eyes slid closed as he let Mello have his way with him, his own hand sliding over Mello's chest and down to the area between his legs. Mello used his free hand to grab Matt's and shove it inside his leather pants. Matt smirked, pulling Mello on top of him so he could reach better, and then working Mello mercilessly with both hands as Mello did the same to him.

By the time night fell, Light was almost exploding with sexual frustration. L seemed unfazed, hunched up and staring blankly into space. They had decided that Light would go back to his room for an hour or so, just in case anybody got suspicious. Light was beginning to think that they should have just done it during the day, but he had a feeling that L wanted to make it more... _special_.

Light left L's room, making sure to slam the door. Matt and Mello sat up, and Mello ran over to the door to peer through the spyhole. Light was going back to his own room... well that still didn't prove they weren't together! Just that they weren't taking the chance of sleeping with together. Mello sighed, going back to Matt's waiting arms and entwining himself around his lover.

An hour dragged by while Light watched some stupid comedy on the television. Finally, he was able to get up and sneak into L's room, making as little noise as possible. L seemed to be in exactly the same place as when Light had left, and he gave Light a small smile as he came in. The younger man was wearing just a simple button shirt with no tie, as he hoped that L would be taking it off anyway. Light sat down beside L, looking deep into his dark eyes and then moving to kiss his neck. He wasn't going to waste any time with conversation tonight. L sighed softly, tilting his head back as Light moved to his collarbone and the exposed skin above his baggy shirt. L stroked Light's silky chestnut brown hair tenderly, as Light kissed him passionately on the lips. Their tongues danced feverishly, sweeping around each other's mouths. Light moved his hands over L's back, sending shivers up the older man's spine and making him press closer to Light and push his tongue into Light's mouth even deeper.

Light responded by lifting the material of L's shirt and sliding his hands inside, caressing his skin slowly and deliberately. L made a quiet purring sound as Light rolled one of L's nipples between his fingers teasingly. L started to undo Light's shirt, ripping one of the buttons off in his eagerness to reach Light's skin. His eyes slid hungrily over Light's toned muscles, stroking his six pack with the tips of his fingers and then leaning forwards to kiss Light's chest, moving his mouth over Light's nipples and tracing patterns around them with his tongue. Light lay back on the bad, wrapping his legs around L's middle and tugging the older man's shirt off and tossing it aside. He propped himself off the bed for a moment so that L could remove his shirt, and then pressed their bare skin together. L was kissing Light's shoulder now, and Light was feeling almost impossibly horny.

He looped his thumbs into the belt loops of L's jeans, curling his fingers over the waistband and running them over the soft cotton of L's boxers. His hand ghosted over L's crotch, hovering over the zipper. He looked at L for permission, receiving a breathless nod of consent. He undid the jeans, sliding them over L's legs and off completely. L rolled sideways, pulling Light so that they lay on their sides facing each other. Light placed his hand between L's legs, and the older man felt red hot electricity burning from Light's touch. He stared at Light with glazed eyes, willing him to continue. The brunette removed L's boxers slowly, gazing almost smugly at L's erection. He took it in one hand, stroking it slowly at first and then moving faster.

L moaned audibly, gripping Light's shoulders tightly as he felt his length growing harder under Light's fingers until it was almost unbearable. He felt dizzy, packed full of heat.

"Light..."

The heat exploded through him as he came, and Light wiped his hand on the bed sheets with a crooked laugh. L gave him a lustful and almost grateful smile, as if Light had presented him with a stack of candy rather than a hand job. The raven haired man pulled the zipper of Light's trousers down, and Light helped him to pull them off, and then his boxers until he was as nude as L. L moved to stroke Light, but the brunette grabbed his wrist.

"Use your mouth?"

L chuckled softly. He knew that Light had been getting a kick out of watching him eating all those lollipops. He obediently slid down Light, kissing his thighs and around his shaft. Light groaned as L teased him by flicking his tongue and then drawing back until Light felt like he was going to climax before L had even put him in his mouth. L eventually relented, sucking on his throbbing hard-on as if he were a piece of candy.

"Ah... mmmm... L..."

L used his tongue, licking from the base to the tip as Light bucked into his mouth. Sensing Light was almost ready, L took him almost entirely in his mouth, still using his tongue to further stimulate him.

"Ngnn... ahhhh..."

Light came, lying panting and sweaty on the bedsheets as L swallowed his juices and looked up at him. He let Light's manhood fall out of his mouth, and crawled back up to look the younger man in the eye.

"Have you... ever had sex with a man before, Light-kun?"

Light shook his head, his hand possessively on L's thigh.

"No, have you?"

"No. I think I know what to do."

The brunette nodded reluctantly; he could always top next time, he supposed. L gently lifted and parted Light's legs, looking at him carefully.

"This... might hurt."

"Do it."

L prepared Light with his fingers, watching him clamp his eyes shut. It did hurt, but it felt good as well. L positioned himself, taking a last look at Light.

"Ready?"

"Yes!" Light insisted impatiently, almost glaring at L to hurry up.

L pushed inside him, and Light moaned loudly.

"Christ!"

The raven haired man thrust again, and Light tossed his head back, grabbing L's shoulders.

"God... L... faster... mmm..."

L did as Light said, pounding into him with a steady rhythm and hoping he was doing it right. Light meanwhile was in a twisted kind of ecstasy, engulfed with pleasure. It was hard to imagine Misa giving him this kind of satisfaction. It was good, so good, everything he'd imagined sex to be as a kid and a hundred times better.

"L!" he half screamed as L came inside him, and they both collapsed onto the bed.

That was how they fell asleep that night, both absolutely knackered but contented in each other's arms.


End file.
